Carlos James Lozada (September 6, 1946 â November 20, 1967) was a member of the United States Army who was one of five Puerto Ricans who received the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.
Lozada was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico. He graduated from high school in 1966 and soon married. Lozada then joined the United States Army.
The United States at that time was involved in the Vietnam War and on June 11, 1967, Lozada was sent to Vietnam and assigned to Co. A, 2nd Battalion, 503 Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade based in Vicenza, Italy.
Lozada's unit was heavily engaged during the Battle of Dak To. On November 20, 1967, 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 his entire company withdrawal would be jeopardized â 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 and had to be carried during the withdrawal.
Lozada was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in December 1969.