BATH, Maine — Members of Maine's congressional delegation will join other local dignitaries and the family of Rafael Peralta for the christening Saturday of Bath Iron Works' 35th Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer named in Peralta's honor.
Sgt. Rafael Peralta was a U.S. Marine serving in Iraq when he was killed in action during the Second Battle of Fallujah in 2004 as he shielded several other marines from a grenade.
His brother, Ricardo Peralta, says the naming of the ship is a meaningful tribute to the kind of person he was.
"What I think about the most is these terms that my brother used on his final letter that wrote me, where he says, 'Be proud of me, bro, I'm going to make history,'" he says. "I still feel like the ship holds that piece of history that he's referring to. It holds his fighting spirit, his willingness to fight until end. The USS Rafael Peralta's motto is 'Courageous until the end,' I believe. That's what my brother was. He was looking out for his Marines until the end."
The USS Peralta is expected to be operational in 2017 and will be based in San Diego. Saturday's christening is open to the public.
