Telesforo De La Cruz Trinidad was born on November 25, 1890, in New Washington, Aklan Province, Western Visayas, Philippines. He was the son of Juan Trinidad and Florentina de la Cruz. He was married to Eufemia Martinez Pagtakhan Trinidad. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a Fireman Second Class.

On January 21, 1915, while serving aboard the armored cruiser USS San Diego (ACR-6) in Mexican waters near La Paz, a series of boiler explosions erupted in the ship's firerooms. Although driven from Fireroom No. 2 by the initial blast, Trinidad immediately returned to rescue an injured shipmate, Fireman Second Class R. E. Daly. After carrying Daly to safety, he entered another damaged fireroom to help rescue a second injured sailor despite another explosion that severely burned his face. His extraordinary courage earned him the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration for valor.

Trinidad continued his naval career throughout World War I and World War II before returning to the Philippines after his retirement. He spent his remaining years in Imus, Cavite, where he died on April 6, 1968, at the age of 77. He was laid to rest in the Imus Public Cemetery. In recognition of his extraordinary legacy, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced on May 20, 2022, that a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS Telesforo Trinidad (DDG-139), would be named in his honor, becoming the first U.S. Navy warship named after a Filipino American hero and Medal of Honor recipient.

Medal of Honor Citation:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Fireman Second Class Telesforo De La Cruz Trinidad, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession at the time of the boiler explosion on board the U.S.S. SAN DIEGO, 21 January 1915. Fireman Second Class Trinidad was driven out of fireroom No. 2 by the explosion, but at once returned and picked up R.E. Daly, Fireman, Second Class, whom he saw to be injured, and proceeded to bring him out. While coming into No. 4 fireroom, Trinidad was just in time to catch the explosion in No. 3 fireroom, but without consideration for his own safety, passed Daly on and then assisted in rescuing another injured man from No. 3 fireroom. Fireman Second Class Trinidad was himself burned about the face by the blast from the explosion in No. 3 fireroom.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, valor.militarytimes.com, en.wikipedia.org