Mike C. Pena

He stayed at a machine gun so his platoon could escape alive

Mike Castaneda Pena was born in Texas on 6 November 1924 and grew up in a Mexican American family. He entered the United States Army while still under age and trained with the horse cavalry. Assigned to the 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, he remained with the formation as it converted to dismounted operations for the Pacific war.

He served in the Admiralty Islands and the Philippines, including the fighting for Manila. Wounds interrupted his service, but he returned to his unit. He married Aurora Urenda in September 1945, and they had two sons. Further assignments took him to Japan and several American posts. By 1950 he was a master sergeant with considerable combat experience.

During the Korean War he served in Company F, 5th Cavalry. On the night of 4 September 1950, near Waegwan, an enemy battalion advanced close to his platoon before opening fire. The sudden attack forced the Americans back. Pena reorganised them and led a counterattack that regained the position.

The enemy repeatedly assaulted the new perimeter. When ammunition ran low and the position became untenable, he ordered the men to withdraw. He remained at a machine gun to cover their escape, continuing to fight into the following morning. His position was eventually overrun and he was killed.

He initially received the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. A later review of awards to Jewish and Hispanic veterans led to its upgrade. President Barack Obama presented his Medal of Honor to his son Michael David Pena at the White House on 18 March 2014. He was buried in Cedarvale Cemetery at Bay City, Texas. His family and community subsequently organised a sixty-four-mile remembrance walk, carrying the medal to the place where his military life was commemorated.