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John Peña (center with sunglasses),
grandson of Medal of Honor Recipient Master Sgt. Mike C. Peña of 5th
Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, finishes the last leg of the
64-mile Mike C. Peña Valor Walk June 8, 2014 in Bay City, Texas.
John and his fellow veterans Paul Jornet (behind, left), Erin Hughes
(behind, center) and Gabriel Diaz (behind, right), took the journey
to honor the 64 years it took from the time of Master Sgt. Peña’s
death before he was awarded the Medal of Honor. The group finished
the final leg of their four-day journey at Master Sgt. Peña’s
resting place where a Medal of Honor Memorial headstone in Peña’s
honor was unveiled during the ceremony. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st
Class Jeremy D. Crisp, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
(released). |
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John Peña (rear-center) grandson of
Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Mike C. Peña of 5th Cavalry
Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, finishes the last leg of the 64-mile
Mike C. Peña Valor Walk June 8, 2014 in Bay City, Texas. John and
his fellow veterans Paul Jornet (behind, left), Erin Hughes (behind,
center) and Gabriel Diaz, took the journey to honor the 64 years it
took from the time of Master Sgt. Peña’s death before he was awarded
the Medal of Honor. They are led by members of the 1st Cavalry
Division Honor Guard and a bagpiper as they finish their journey at
Master Sgt. Peña’s gravesite. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class
Jeremy D. Crisp, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs (released). |
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Veterans and several hundred
community members were on-hand during the unveiling of the Medal of
Honor Memorial Headstone for Master Sgt. Mike C. Peña, 5th Cavalry
Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, during a ceremony at his resting
place June 8, 2014 at Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City, Texas. The
ceremony and headstone are to locally honor the Newgulf, Texas
native in his receiving the Medal of Honor posthumously March 18,
2014, after it was upgraded from the Distinguished Service Cross.
Peña gave his life in defense of his fellow 1st Cavalry Division
Troopers in 1950 during the Korean War. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st
Class Jeremy D. Crisp, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
(released). |
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John Peña (left), grandson of Medal
of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Mike C. Peña, 5th Cavalry Regiment,
1st Cavalry Division, walked 64 miles to present his grandfather’s
Medal of Honor to his father and Master Sgt. Peña’s son, Michael
(seen in white shirt), during a ceremony at the Cedarvale Cemetery
in Bay City, Texas, June 8, 2014, where Master Sgt. Peña is buried.
John and three of his comrades walked 64 miles over four days to
signify the 64 years since his grandfather died in the Korean War,
and to signify the 64 years it took before Master Sgt. Peña was
awarded the Medal of Honor. A Medal of Honor Memorial Headstone for
Master Sgt. Peña was unveiled at the cemetery. (U.S. Army photo by
Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy D. Crisp, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
(released). |
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Hundreds gather to attend a formal
recognition ceremony June 8, 2014 in Newgulf, Texas, in honor of the
town’s native son, Master Sgt. Mike C. Peña, 5th Cavalry Regiment,
1st Cavalry Division, who was awarded the Medal of Honor
posthumously March 18, 2014 in a ceremony at the White House. John
Peña, grandson of Master Sgt. Peña, walked 64 miles to present his
grandfather’s Medal of Honor to his father, Michael, Master Sergeant
Peña’s son, during a ceremony at the Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City,
Texas, June 8, 2014, where Master Sgt. Peña is buried. John and
three of his comrades walked 64 miles over four days to signify the
64 years since his grandfather died in the Korean War, and to
signify the 64 years it took before Master Sgt. Peña was awarded the
Medal of Honor. A Medal of Honor Memorial Headstone for Master Sgt.
Peña was unveiled at the cemetery. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st
Class Jeremy D. Crisp, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
(released). |
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Good afternoon family members and guests. It is indeed a privilege to speak before you today as we honor and remember Medal of Honor recipient Master Sergeant Michael Castañeda Peña. Medal of Honor recipients make up a very special group--those who wear it and those who received it posthumously--are united forever in a common bond of valor and gallantry known only to those who have performed above and beyond the call of duty. Receiving the Medal of Honor is the highest honor bestowed to our nation's soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen. Since 1863 more than 3,400 Medals of Honor have been awarded. Every recipient's story is a chapter in the larger story of human devotion, dedication and sacrifice. No one account stands out above the other for they did not compete with one another in their gallantry-they shared in gallantry. I would now like to share the account of the man we remember and honor today. Michael C. Peña was born in Newgulf, Texas in November of 1924. He joined the U. S. Army as in infantryman in 1941 when he was 16 years old. He fought in both World War II and the Korean War. Sergeant Peña served in World War II where he was the first group to enter Manila, liberating the Santo Thomas prisoners and was part of the "suicide" landing on Los Negos island in the admiralty group with only 700 men against 7,000 Japanese. Sergeant Peña was awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, Presidential Unit Citations, and the Distinguished Service Cross. Sergeant Peña was 26 years old when he gave his life for our country. On September 5, 1950, the Distinguished Service Cross was posthumously awarded to Aurora Peña, widow of Master Sergeant Peña, and his two young sons, Michael and Frederick. On March 18, 2014, Sergeant Pena’s grandson John, who also served our country as a Marine in Okinawa, and his father, were presented the Congressional Medal of Honor on behalf of their father and grandfather. I will now read the Medal of Honor citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: Master Sergeant Mike C. Peña distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a member of Company F, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division during combat operations against an armed enemy in Waegwan, Korea, on September 4,1950. That evening, under cover of darkness and a dreary mist, an enemy battalion moved to within a few yards of Master Sergeant Peña’s platoon. Recognizing the enemy's approach, Master Sergeant Peña and his men opened fire, but the enemy's sudden emergence and accurate, point blank fire forced the friendly troops to withdraw. Master Sergeant Peña rapidly reorganized his men and led them in a counterattack which succeeded in regaining the positions they had just lost. He and his men quickly established a defensive perimeter and laid down devastating fire, but enemy troops continued to hurl themselves at the defenses in overwhelming numbers. Realizing that their scarce supply of ammunition would soon make their positions untenable, Master Sergeant Peña ordered his men to fall back and manned a machinegun to cover their withdrawal. He singlehandedly held back the enemy until the early hours of the following morning when his position was overrun and he was killed. Master Sergeant Peña’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army. (End of Citation) We gather here today because of the vision of Sergeant Peña’s grandson John. All the volunteers of the valor walk represent the core of our service members from all branches. Together they walk as one and today, 64 years later, they walk for Sergeant Michael C. Peña ... A true American hero! The greatest deeds are those done without thought of reward. If each of us carries forever the memory of Sergeant Pena and all those in the select group that wear the Medal of Honor, and those who received it posthumously, we will give them the reward they so richly deserve. Thank you and God Bless America. -VFW-
Note 1:
Michael C. Pena was born in Corpus Christi, TX on 6 Nov 1924 |
Valor 24 Medal of Honor Presentation MSGT Mike Pena Pena Family Photos |
