USS Rafael Peralta, first U.S. Navy ship named after Mexican born soldier

The USS Rafael Peralta, named for a Marine killed nearly 11 years ago in Iraq, will be christened Saturday at Bath Iron Works. Peralta was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for heroism after he covered an insurgent's grenade with his body to protect his fellow Marines.

"His legacy will carry on," said Ricardo Peralta, who was inspired by his older brother to join the Marines and served in Afghanistan. "I feel like the USS Peralta holds the spirit of what my brother stood for, and that was for God, for his country, the United States, and for the Marine . . .