Hahn Honors 15 Purple Heart Recipients Ahead of Purple Heart Day in LA County

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn July 22 honored 15 local Purple Heart recipients during the meeting of the Board of Supervisors. The Purple Heart honors individuals wounded or killed in combat while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The presentation comes just a week after the board approved Hahn’s motion to proclaim August 7 Purple Heart Day in Los Angeles County for the first time in the county’s history. 

“Each of you have endured what most cannot imagine,” said Hahn to the honorees during the presentation. “You have borne wounds in defense of this country – physical, emotional, and spiritual.  Today we honor that sacrifice. Our nation owes you not only gratitude, but our support.”

The Purple Heart is one of the oldest and most distinguished military decorations in the United States. Its origins date back to August 7, 1782, when General George Washington, unable to promote soldiers based on merit due to restrictions from the Continental Congress, created the Badge of Military Merit. In his order he authorized the badge, a purple heart-shaped cloth symbol, to recognize soldiers who performed “singularly meritorious action.”

“On behalf of my fellow veterans and myself, we want to thank the County and each supervisor for giving us this wonderful chance to be recognized, especially our own supervisor for me, Janice Hahn. She’s the one that got us together. Thank you for this wonderful proclamation,” said Louis Dominguez during the presentation. 

Dominguez is a longtime community leader and former teacher in San Pedro who voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1966 and served in the Vietnam War where he suffered serious injury. Dominguez was later recognized with various awards for his service, including a Purple Heart. In 2023, Hahn opened a 60-room interim housing site for formerly homeless veterans in San Pedro and named it the Louis Dominguez Veterans Center in Dominguez’s honor.

All of the veterans Hahn honored reside in the Fourth District and served in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan and are listed below:

Louis Dominguez – U.S. Army, Vietnam War

Rodolfo “Rudy” Casas – U.S. Army, Korean War

Zeferino John Madrigal III – U.S. Army, Afghanistan War

Bladamir Rodriguez – U.S. Army, Iraq War

Aeron Rimando – U.S. Army, Afghanistan War

Jesus Esquivel – U.S. Army, Afghanistan War

Alberto Lopez – U.S. Army, Afghanistan War

Santiago Rios – U.S. Army, Vietnam War

Michael Whiting – U.S. Army, Vietnam War

Leonard Pijpaert – U.S. Army, Iraq War

Robert Castillo – U.S. Army, Korean War

Alfred Mota – U.S. Army, Korean War

Ruben Valencia – U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam War

Richard “Dickie” Rivas – U.S. Marine Corps, Korean War

James Stephen Dolan – U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam War