The Life of a Marine Sergeant, and His Sacrifice in the Field
Rafael Peralta in second grade. Years later he died as a marine in Iraq. Credit Courtesy of Rosa Peralta
The war in Iraq may be complicated and confusing, but the Memorial Day story from it told in “Act of Honor,†tonight on the History Channel, is as basic and noble as war stories get: one soldier chooses to die so that his comrades can live.
The soldier was Rafael Peralta, a Marine sergeant who was 25 when he was killed in the battle at Falluja in November 2004. The film reconstructs the path he took to reach that moment: birth in Mexico, immigration to San Diego in search of better schools, enlistment as soon as he got his green card. (The program will also be broadcast in Spanish on the History Channel en Español.) It also provides a visceral look at street-level life for the soldiers in Iraq, drawing on a video diary shot by one of Sergeant Peralta’s platoon mates, Sgt. Timothy Buquoi.
Sergeant Peralta’s actions received considerable news coverage at the time, but the film finds additional compelling material after his death by looking in on his mother and siblings, who all sound as if the grief will never leave their voices.
A younger brother named Ricardo receives particular focus since he feels a duty to follow his brother into the Marines, and he signs up for Devil Pups, a confidence-building camp for teenagers held at Camp Pendleton. In the muster at the end of the rigorous camp, a drill instructor tries to get him to voice pride in having made it through.
“You did it for yourself, right?†he says.
But Ricardo keeps answering, “No, sir.†The instructor finally gives up.
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The film doesn’t get into the difficult issues of the war: whether the United States should be there; what the purpose is; whether Sergeant Peralta died for nothing. His story as told here could be from any war, and his selfless act is awe-inspiring in any context.
Does the film have a secondary agenda as a response to the anti-immigration forces that would keep people like Sergeant Peralta from ever entering the United States? Maybe, but so what? Heroism is heroism; sacrifice is sacrifice.
History Channeland History
Channel en Español,tonight at 7, Eastern and Pacific times; 6, Central time.
Directed by Lee Hirsch; edited by Lars Woodruffe; Marlene Braga, executive producer; Sarah Foudy and Lee Hirsch, producers; Manny Monterrey, co-producer; Tinabeth Piña and Michael Skalicky, associate producers; Michael Burke, director of photography.
A version of this review appears in print on. on Page B14 of the New York edition with the headline: The Life of a Marine Sergeant, And His Sacrifice in the Field. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe
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