Medal of honor day | va san diego health care | veterans affairs

Three of the nation's 61 living Medal of Honor recipients call San Diego and the VA San Diego Healthcare System home. Of the 61 living Medal of Honor recipients, three of them call San

Diego home. On March 25, 2025, all three of the Vietnam-era Veterans visited the VA San Diego Healthcare System for a special event to honor their service and allow Veterans and staff to

meet with them. Retired Marine Corps Colonel Jay Vargas led his company during an intense three-day attack on a fortified village. Despite being wounded three times, Vargas disregarded his

own pain to carry his wounded battalion commander to safety. Vargas served as California Secretary of Veterans Affairs and as a liaison to a former VA Secretary. During his visits to several

VA facilities he recalls that, “One thing I learned … this hospital is always rated number one.” Retired Marine Corps Colonel Robert Modrzejewski led a company of Marines to establish a

blocking position on a major enemy trail network. Although vastly outnumbered, Modrzejewski and his men took control of an enemy stockpile of weapons and ammunition. Exposed to enemy fire

and wounded, Modrzejewski crawled 200 meters to provide critically needed ammunition to an exposed element of his command. He reorganized his company held off a vicious enemy onslaught until

air and artillery strikes at close range repulsed the attack. Modrzejewski talked about his entry into the Marine Corps. “Despite myself, I did graduate from college and the (ROTC) program,

and about a month later reported for duty.” said Modrzejewski. “What that Marine recruiter guy never told me was that nine years later, I would be laying in a ditch a short distance from

North Vietnam.”  Sergeant John Baca was serving on a rifle team during a night ambush mission when his team was sent to investigate the detonation of an ambush device. A fragmentation

grenade was thrown in the midst of the patrol. Baca acted with complete disregard of his own safety to cover the grenade with his steel helmet and fell on it to absorb the blast.   Baca had

words of praise for the medical staff that cares for him. “Dr. Michelsen, you’ve been such a blessing in my life and everyone I know they love you so much!” exclaimed Baca. “My daughter is a

nurse and she’ll be coming out here this summer. She’s an ER nurse and maybe a connection here will get her in the VA.” One war, three extraordinary displays of courage. All three Medal of

Honor dignitaries have used their experiences to represent and encourage others. Dr. Frank Pearson, Director VA San Diego Healthcare System, emphasized to the 200+ Veterans and Staff (some

of whom were also Veterans), the importance of our extraordinary mission and the privilege of caring for our Veterans “like no one else can.”    “On behalf of all the living Medal of Honor

recipients, thank you,” said Vargas. “This is one helluva team we have in San Diego. I just love the way that you take care of us.”