President Bush has been asked to review a decision denying the Medal of Honor to a Marine who witnesses say covered a grenade with his body to save the lives of fellow Marines during a firefight in Iraq.

MILITARY: Medal decisions usually stand

In a letter sent to the White House on Friday, San Diego County's congressional delegation and California's two U.S. senators said that "intentionally absorbing a grenade blast to protect one's comrades in arms has been traditionally recognized by awarding the Medal of Honor."

On Wednesday, the Marine Corps announced that Sgt. Rafael Peralta was being honored posthumously with the Navy Cross, the second-highest award a Marine can receive for valor in combat.

The president awards the Medal of Honor on behalf of Congress following a nomination by the service branch and an exhaustive review.

A San Diego resident, Peralta died Nov. 15, 2004, when he and fellow Marines attached to Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Division attacked three insurgents inside a house in Fallujah during one of the largest battles of the Iraq war.

Peralta had been wounded by an accidental shot to the head from another Marine and was on the floor when the grenade was tossed into the room.

The Marines with Peralta that day say they saw him reach out with his right arm and drag the grenade to his body moments before it exploded.

U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, said he believes Peralta deserves the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor.

"Sergeant Peralta's actions are the traditional measure of heroism and selflessness by which the Medal of Honor is awarded," said Hunter, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee. "He knowingly made a split-second decision to give his life for his fellow Marines and country. Sergeant Peralta deserves the Medal of Honor and I hope the president will reconsider this decision."

Peralta's mother, Rosa, has said that she is considering refusing the Navy Cross. On Wednesday, she told the North County Times that because Bush had singled him out in a speech, she was upset her son was not getting the Medal of Honor.

On Memorial Day 2005, Bush told an audience that the 25-year-old Peralta "understood that America faces dangerous enemies, and he knew the sacrifices required to defeat them."

A panel appointed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates rejected the nomination based upon a medical expert's conclusion that the head wound Peralta suffered made it unlikely that he could have deliberately reached for the grenade.

Other medical experts made the opposite determination, according to a report released by the Marine Corps on Thursday. They concluded that, while mortally wounded, Peralta was physically able to reach for the grenade before he died.

The delegation letter cites the case of Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham. He was posthumously given the Medal of Honor for an act nearly identical to Peralta's: using his body to absorb a grenade blast in April 2004 in Iraq.

"The sacrifice of Sergeant Peralta manifests the same devotion to one's comrades and country as that displayed by Jason Dunham," the congressional letter reads. "Unless a strong distinction is drawn between his actions and those of Corporal Dunham, (we request) Sergeant Peralta be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor."

In addition to Hunter, the letter is signed by Democratic U.S. Reps. Susan Davis and Bob Filner of San Diego as well as Republican U.S. Reps. Darrell Issa of Vista, and Brian Bilbray of Solana Beach.

California Democratic U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer also signed the petition.

Peralta's brother-in-law, David Donald, said Friday that the family is heartened by the congressional letter and other expressions of support received this week.

"The letter says a lot that has been on our minds and states very well what we hope happens," Donald said. "We just don't understand the decision."

In the announcement that Peralta was receiving the Navy Cross, Navy Secretary Donald Winter made it clear that he believed Peralta's act was deliberate.

"Without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own personal safety, Sergeant Peralta reached out and pulled the grenade to his body, absorbing the brunt of the blast and shielding fellow Marines only feet away," the citation signed by Winter reads.

The Defense Department issued a statement Thursday defending the panel's decision.

"Secretary Gates did not arrive at this decision lightly, which is evident by the rigorous and thorough review that was conducted," the statement said.

A Marine Corps spokesman at the Pentagon said the service would have no comment on the congressional petition.

Peralta emmigrated with his family from Tijuana at age 15. He is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma.

Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.

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