Temple Man to Accept Medal of Honor on Deceased Father’s Behalf
Sgt. Felix M. Conde-Falcon was killed in action on April 4, 1969 while serving as a platoon leader during a sweep operation near Ap Tan Hoa, Vietnam. Before he fell, Conde-Falcon single-handedly destroyed three enemy bunkers and is said to have displayed extraordinary leadership under fire. Conde-Falcon received several medals and honors, including the Distinguished Service Cross that will be upgraded to the Medal of Honor during a March 18 ceremony at the White House.
Conde-Falcon is one of 24 veterans who will receive this honor after a 2002 Army review of records of Hispanic and Jewish veterans who received a Service Cross during or after World War II and would be eligible to receive the upgrade. That review was conducted under a directive from Congress in the 2002 National Defense Authorization Act.
Several of those receiving this honor were denied the medal simply because of their ethnicity. Conde-Falcon was born in Juncos, Puerto Rico in 1938 and raised in Chicago Illinois. He volunteered for the Army in April of 1963 and served in the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. When he died in combat, he left behind a wife and 3-year-old son.