84R3173 BK-D
By: Stephenson H.R. No. 96
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, U.S. Army Master Sergeant Mike C. Peña of Newgulf
gave his life to save his fellow soldiers during the Korean War, and
his heroism was posthumously recognized with the bestowal of a
Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on March 18, 2014; and
WHEREAS, Born on November 6, 1924, Mike Peña was the son of
Mexican immigrants Miguel and Maria Peña; in 1940, two months shy of
his 16th birthday, he enlisted in the army in Houston after
misrepresenting his age to recruiters; he was assigned to the 5th
Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, and received training at
Fort Clark in Brackettville and Fort Bliss in El Paso; just a year
after his induction into the service, the Japanese surprise attack
on Pearl Harbor precipitated the United States' entry into World
War II; and
WHEREAS, Deployed to the Pacific theater in 1943, Sergeant
Peña fought to liberate the Philippines from Japanese forces and
later took part in the occupation of Japan with members of his
division; he received an honorable discharge on October 3, 1945,
and reenlisted the same day; a month earlier, on September 5, he had
married his sweetheart, the former Aurora Lola Urenda, and their
life together would be enriched by the birth of two sons, Michael
David and Frederick William; for a time, the family resided at Camp
McGill in occupied Japan before moving to Camp Carson in Colorado;
and
WHEREAS, In late June 1950, the U.S. military was again
called upon when soldiers from communist North Korea invaded South
Korea; Sergeant Peña volunteered to return to action, rejoining the
5th Cavalry Regiment, and participated in an amphibious landing at
P'ohang-dong, Korea, in July 1950; the 1st Cavalry Division was
ordered to defend a 35-mile sector along the Nakdong River, which
became the scene of intense fighting as enemy combatants pushed
from the north; and
WHEREAS, On September 4, 1950, Sergeant Peña and his platoon
were posted near Waegwan, when a North Korean Army battalion
emerged only yards away, having advanced under the shroud of
darkness and mist; the platoon opened fire but was caught off-guard
by the attack and was forced to withdraw; Sergeant Peña swiftly
rallied his troops and led them in a counterattack that succeeded in
regaining their lost ground; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Peña and his men then established a
defensive perimeter and attempted to repel the North Koreans'
repeated assaults, but the enemy enjoyed an overwhelming numerical
advantage; when the platoon's ammunition supply began to dwindle,
Sergeant Peña commanded his men to fall back and seized a machine
gun to provide cover for the retreating troops; making a heroic
stand, he held back the enemy singlehandedly until the early
morning hours, when his position was overrun and he was fatally
wounded; he died at the age of 25, on the date of his fifth wedding
anniversary; and
WHEREAS, The outstanding service that Sergeant Peña rendered
over the course of his military career brought him numerous
decorations and awards, including the Distinguished Service Cross,
which was conferred posthumously, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple
Heart with two oak leaf clusters, and the Army Good Conduct Medal
with bronze clasp and two loops; Sergeant Peña was buried with full
military honors at Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City; and
WHEREAS, For his extraordinary gallantry and immeasurable
sacrifice, Americans owe Master Sergeant Mike C. Peña a debt that
the passage of time can never diminish; his actions represent the
proudest tradition of service to country, and he is indeed
deserving of our nation's supreme award for valor; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the posthumous presentation of the
Medal of Honor to Master Sergeant Mike C. Peña; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Master
Sergeant Mike C. Peña.