DOMINGO RAYMUNDO SADAVA BORJA

Recipient of the United States' SECOND HIGHEST military award, "The Distinguished Service Cross"
which is next only to the Congressional "Medal of Honor."

He was born on Feb. 1, 1931 in Cabatuan, Iloilo to Vicente Borja and Matea Sadava,
and lost his life in 1967 in Vietnam/Laos.
The DSC medal was awarded posthumously in 1967.

The United States Army is currently trying to locate Sgt. Borja's birth family/relatives in Cabatuan, Iloilo.
If you have any information, please email Cabatuan.com at

The Distinguished Service Cross
America's second highest award for valor in combat, next only to the "Medal of Honor"


HQ US ARMY, VIETNAM,
APO San Francisco 96375

12 April 1967

GENERAL ORDERS
NUMBER 1648

AWARD OF THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS

1. TC 320. The following AWARD is announced posthumously.

Domingo R S Borja, Sergeant First Class
Command and Control Detachment, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)

Awarded: Distinguished Service Cross
Date action: 21 February 1967
Theater: Republic of Vietnam
Reason: For extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Command and Control Detachment, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces. Sergeant First Class Borja distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 21 February 1967 while serving as Special Forces advisor to a Vietnamese reconnaissance team. Sergeant Borja was leading his patrol towards a much used trail when voices in a North Vietnamese dialect were heard. As he and another man moved forward to investigate, he received a burst of machine gun fire. Reacting instantaneously, but calmly, Sergeant Borja fired and killed three of the enemy. As the other man moved forward to capture the enemy weapons, he was hit in the chest by another burst of fire. Sergeant Borja again fired, killed the attackers, and ran out to drag the man back to safety. Disregarding his exposure to fire from an estimated company of insurgents, he brought the man back to the unit, then led them out of the area. As they moved, the casualty and several other men became separated from the main force. Again ignoring the danger, Sergeant Borja returned to unite the straggling element with the leaders. Just as he located the small group, he saw an insurgent about to fire on them. The two men saw each other simultaneously and fired, killing each other instantly. Sergeant Borja's selfless actions prevented his team from suffering heavy casualties and enabled it to complete its mission. Sergeant First Class Borja's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.