CW2 Louis Richard Rocco was of Italian and Nuevo Mexican ancestry. His father was Louis Valencia Rocco who worked at the Schwartzman meat packing plant in Albuquerque 2nd street,  and mother Manuelita “Lita” Saiz of the Barelas neighborhood in Albuquerque. The family later moved to California and CW2 Louis Rocco dropped out of high school at 16 years old, and was arrested for armed robbery. At the sentencing hearing the judge gave him a suspended sentence and told him that he could join the Army when he was 17 if he stayed in school, obeyed a curfew and shunned his gang. CW2 Rocco joined the Army soon after in 1955. Rocco served two tours of duty in Viet Nam. His first tour was from 1965 to 1966. In 1969, Rocco returned for another tour of duty in Vietnam and was assigned to Advisory Team 162  MACV. CW2 Rocco distinguished himself when he volunteered to accompany a medical evacuation team on an urgent mission to evacuate eight critically wounded Army of the Republic of Vietnam personnel. He would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Rocco would return to New Mexico after the war and continue a life of service. Rocco was named director of New Mexico’s Veterans Service Commission. He helped establish the Vietnam Veterans of New Mexico organization, opened a Veterans’ Center which provided peer counseling to Vietnam veterans, started a shelter for the homeless and a nursing home for veterans. CW2 Louis Richard Rocco died from lung cancer attributed to Agent Orange exposure, at age 63.

*The preceding content is not intended as a comprehensive biography, but it highlights their significance as a result of military or civilian distinction, lasting achievements, or association with impactful national events. This content was developed by Santa Fe Community College through a Veterans Legacy Program grant.*


More information:

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-awarding-the-congressional-medal-honor-wo-louis-r-rocco-and-s-sgt-jon-r-cavaiani

https://news.va.gov/99629/veteranoftheday-army-veteran-louis-r-rocco/

Chief Warrant Officer Louis Richard Rocco (Vietnam) is a Notable burial at https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/ftsamhouston.asp. Louis Rocco, native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1956. He served with Advisory Team 162 during the Vietnam War. On May 24, 1970, Rocco volunteered to accompany a medical evacuation team on a rescue mission northeast of Katum. Under fire, their helicopter crash landed. Ignoring his own injuries from the landing, Rocco extracted the survivors from the burning wreckage and sustained further injuries. He administered first aid until he lost consciousness, and received the Medal of Honor, in 1974, for his actions that day. Rocco retired from service in 1978 after twenty-two years, only to return when army medics were called back to active duty in 1990. Rocco died October 31, 2002.
https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/louis-r-rocco.
*The preceding content is not intended as a comprehensive biography, but it highlights their significance as a result of military or civilian distinction, lasting achievements, or association with impactful national events. 

President Ford presents the Medal of Honor to Louis Rocco.

LOUIS RICHARD ROCCO

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