Carlos James Lozada
Private First Class, U.S. Army
Medal of Honor Recipient
Vietnam War

Private First Class Carlos James Lozada (6 September 1946 - 20 November 1967) was a U.S. Army soldier who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Lozada was one of five Puerto Ricans who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for their heroic actions in combat.

Carlos James Lozada was born on 6 September 1946 in Caguas, Puerto Rico. His family moved to New York City in the early 1950s. They settled in the Bronx section of the city, where Lozada received both his primary and secondary education. He graduated from high school in 1966 and soon married. Lozada then joined the Army, intending to use his G.I. benefits to attend college after his term of service.

Lozada was sent to Vietnam on 11 June 1967, and assigned to Co. A, 2nd Battalion, 503 Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade. On 20 November 1967, at Dak To in the Republic of Vietnam, PFC Lozada spotted a North Vietnamese Army company rapidly approaching his outpost. He alerted his comrades and opened fire with a machine gun, killing at least twenty of the enemy soldiers and disrupting their initial attack. He realized that if he abandoned his position there would be nothing to hold back the surging North Vietnamese soldiers and that his entire company withdrawal would be jeopardized - as a result he told his comrades to move to the back and that he would supply cover for them. He continued to deliver a heavy and accurate volume of suppressive fire against the enemy until he was mortally wounded. PFC Lozada posthumously received the Medal of Honor for distinguishing himself in the Battle of Dak To.

Medal of Honor

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to:

CARLOS JAMES LOZADA

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 2d Battalion, 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade.

Place and date: Dak To, Republic of Vietnam, 20 November 1967.

Entered service at: New York, NY. Born: 6 September 1946, Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Lozada, U.S. Army, distinguished himself at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in the battle of Dak To. While serving as a machine gunner with 1st platoon, Company A, Pfc. Lozada was part of a 4-man early warning outpost, located 35 meters from his company's lines. At 1400 hours a North Vietnamese Army company rapidly approached the outpost along a well defined trail. Pfc. Lozada alerted his comrades and commenced firing at the enemy who were within 10 meters of the outpost. His heavy and accurate machinegun fire killed at least 20 North Vietnamese soldiers and completely disrupted their initial attack. Pfc. Lozada remained in an exposed position and continued to pour deadly fire upon the enemy despite the urgent pleas of his comrades to withdraw. The enemy continued their assault, attempting to envelop the outpost. At the same time enemy forces launched a heavy attack on the forward west flank of Company A with the intent to cut them off from their battalion. Company A was given the order to withdraw. Pfc. Lozada apparently realized that if he abandoned his position there would be nothing to hold back the surging North Vietnamese soldiers and that the entire company withdrawal would be jeopardized. He called for his comrades to move back and that he would stay and provide cover for them. He made this decision realizing that the enemy was converging on 3 sides of his position and only meters away, and a delay in withdrawal meant almost certain death. Pfc. Lozada continued to deliver a heavy, accurate volume of suppressive fire against the enemy until he was mortally wounded and had to be carried during the withdrawal. His heroic deed served as an example and an inspiration to his comrades throughout the ensuing 4-day battle. Pfc. Lozada's actions are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

Medals and Awards

Medal of Honor
Purple Heart Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal

Combat Infantryman Badge
Parachutist Badge

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Carlos James Lozada's name is inscribed on Panel 30E - Line 45.

Honors

• Lozada's name is inscribed in "El Monumento de la Recordacion" (Monument of Remembrance), dedicated to Puerto Rico's fallen soldiers and situated in front of the Capitol Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

• The Bronx honored him by naming a playground in his honor located behind 175 Willis Ave.

• On 11 November 2008, the Government of Puerto Rico unveiled in the Capitol Rotunda the oil portrait of PFC Carlos James Lozada.

Death and Burial

Private First Class Carlos James Lozada was killed in action on 20 November 1967. He was buried with full military honors at Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, NY, in Section T, Site 2295.