When a live grenade fell into the shallow entrenchment occupied by his wounded fellow Marines, he grabbed it and hurled it away — saving the lives of many, but suffering severe wounds. Finally, he was seriously wounded by a sniper, but was rescued by other Marines. He was evacuated to Japan in December 1950. Cafferata returned to the United States in January for treatment at the U. S. Naval Hospital, St. Albans, New York. He was placed on the medically retired list on September 1, 1951. On November 24, 1952, Marine Private First Class Cafferata received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman during ceremonies at the White House. His citation reads: The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to for service as set forth in the following CITATION: Post-war life and death After the war, Cafferata sold hunting and fishing equipment, worked for the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, and ran the Cliffside Tavern in Alpha, New Jersey, where he was a longtime resident. He petitioned to have Kenneth Benson (c. 1932–2012) also awarded the Medal of Honor. In 2000, Benson was awarded the Silver Star. Cafferata died on April 12, 2016, at a hospice in Venice, Florida. He was survived by his wife of more than 50 years, the former Doris Giblock of Venice, four children (Lynn D. Cafferata Coovert and Deborah Cafferata-ReFalo, both of Charlotte, North Carolina; Dale W. Cafferata of Pinellas Park, Florida, and Heather A. Cafferata of Budd Lake, New Jersey), a brother, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Although Cafferata occasionally attended Medal of Honor ceremonies, he was reluctant to speak about his own wartime experiences. I did my duty. I protected my fellow Marines. They protected me. And I'm prouder of that than the fact that the government decided to give me the Medal of Honor. Military decorations and awards Cafferata's military awards include: Other honors Marine Hector Cafferata Jr. Medal of Honor Highway, a section of Interstate 287 from milepost 30.17 to milepost 53.89, is named in his honor, as is Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Elementary School in Cape Coral, Florida, the first school in Florida to be named after a living Medal of Honor recipient. In 2014, the United States Post Office issued a two-stamp set honoring Korean War Medal of Honor recipients. The two