Frank Carpa Rocha
Corporal, U.S. Army

Note: There are conflicting dates for his date of birth; some records show it as 1 September 1925.

In August 1951, Corporal Frank Carpa Rocha was serving as a Recoilless Rifle Gunner with an Infantry Company of the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, in Korea.

On 10 August, CPL Rocha's unit was engaged with enemy forces in the vicinity of Sang-to-Dong, North Korea, when a friendly patrol was sent out to occupy a commanding terrain feature. It also had orders to engage any hostile troops between the patrol base and the objective. CPL Rocha volunteered to accompany the patrol to provide supporting fire with his recoilless rifle. Upon locating enemy emplacements, the assaulting elements of the patrol moved forward to make contact and CPL Rocha was ordered to position his weapon on a ridge to their rear. After reaching the ridge, CPL Rocha determined that the range was too far for the recoilless rifle to be used with maximum effect, so he moved forward to the position held by the friendly riflemen. Kneeling in a position exposed to the enemy, he fired with deadly accuracy at the hostile emplacements. Each time he fired, the enemy sought him out and concentrated a heavy volume of automatic-weapons and small-arms fire on him. His devastating fire accounted for the destruction of many key enemy positions and inflicted numerous casualties among the hostile troops. In desperation, the numerically superior enemy launched a series of attacks that made it necessary for the friendly force to fall back a short distance with each assault. Upon receiving the order to withdraw, CPL Rocha saw that his comrades were pinned down by heavy automatic-weapons fire. Moving to an area completely exposed to enemy observation, he knelt and delivered supporting fire that enabled the friendly force to withdraw. As he was reloading his weapon he was hit by a burst of enemy machine-gun fire and mortally wounded. CPL Rocha's extraordinary heroism and selfless actions earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Distinguished Service Cross
Purple Heart
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Corporal Frank Carpa Rocha (ASN: US-50000205), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as a heavy machine-gunner with an Infantry Company of the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Corporal Rocha distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Sang-to-Dong, Korea, on 10 August 1951. On that date, a friendly patrol set out to occupy a commanding terrain feature with orders to engage any hostile troops between the patrol base and the objective. Corporal Rocha volunteered to accompany the patrol in order to render supporting fire with a recoilless rifle. Upon locating enemy emplacements, the assaulting elements of the patrol moved forward to make contact and Corporal Rocha was ordered to station his weapon on a ridge to their rear. Reaching the ridge, Corporal Rocha realized that the range was too long for the recoilless rifle to be used with maximum effect and so, with a total disregard for his personal safety, he moved forward to the position held by the friendly riflemen. Kneeling calmly in an exposed position, he fired with deadly accuracy at the hostile emplacements. Each time he fired, the enemy sought him out and concentrated a heavy volume of automatic-weapons and small-arms fire on him. His devastating fire accounted for many key enemy positions and inflicted numerous casualties among the hostile troops. In desperation, the numerically superior enemy launched a series of fanatical attacks which made it necessary for the friendly force to fall back a short distance with each assault. Upon receiving the order to withdraw, Corporal Rocha observed that his comrades were pinned down by heavy automatic-weapons fire. Moving to an area completely exposed to enemy observation, he fearlessly knelt and provided supporting fire which enabled the friendly force to withdraw. He was attempting to reload his weapon when he was hit by a burst of enemy machine-gun fire and mortally wounded.

General Orders: Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No. 1021 (December 26, 1951)

Burial

Corporal Frank Carpa Rocha is buried at Grand View Memorial Park in Glendale, Los Angeles County, CA, in Section H, Tier 1A, Grave 29.

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