CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — When military service members are injured in the line of duty, they receive a Purple Heart to honor their sacrifice to the country — and each of their stories deserves to be told. I sat down with one Coastal Bend community member to hear his.
Gilbert Trevino is a Purple Heart veteran who recalled the day he was wounded in battle during an operation in Vietnam. His platoon moved forward with a planned attack on Vietnamese troops in a small village, but fearing a booby trap on the trail, they slowed down.
"When I told him to move out, there was a drop in the trail. He was going down the little drop, and he tripped the wire. And 2 grenades went off at the same time," Trevino said.
Tragedy struck, and the platoon was now the one facing an ambush. Trevino's fellow Marine was killed immediately, but Trevino says it could have easily been him.
"But he kind of saved my life because he took most of the shrapnel from those two grenades," Trevino said.
Trevino says that as he lay on the ground bleeding out, all he could do was pray.
"And if he wants to save me, he will save me. If he wants me to, if he wants to take me home, he will take me home. But the Lord saved me," Trevino said.
He was spared that day. Now, 51 years later, Trevino spends his time serving his fellow veterans, but in a different way.
"Our veterans sometimes don't get the military honors that they earn. They don't get the respect," Trevino said.
Since 2007, Trevino has worked to ensure fallen heroes across the Coastal Bend receive a proper veterans' burial. He believes it is essential that fallen veterans are honored with all they have earned.
"We fold the flag, we present the flag, we play the bugle, we fire a 21-gun salute. These are what a veteran needs when he gets buried. Sometimes that's not what they get," Trevino said.
Trevino's heroism earned him the Purple Heart, and his drive to serve the country continues as he honors other veterans who deserve to be remembered.
More Veterans In Focus stories are available here, along with resources for local veterans.
