Years of service 1941–1950 Rank Master sergeant | Name Mike Pena | |
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Born November 6, 1924Corpus Christi, Texas ( 1924-11-06 ) Buried at Cedarvale Cemetery, Bay City, TX Allegiance United States of America Battles/wars World War IIKorean War Place of burial Bay City, Texas, United States | ||
Mike C Pena - Medal of Honor Recipient
Mike Castaneda Pena (November 6, 1924 – September 5, 1950) was U.S. Army veteran of World War II and The Korean War, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.
Contents
- Mike C Pena Medal of Honor Recipient
- Biographical details
- Medal of Honor
- Medal of Honor citation
- Honors and awards
- References

Biographical details
Pena was born in Corpus Christi, Texas on November 6, 1924 into a Mexican American family. He joined the U. S. Army as an infantryman in 1941 when he was 16 years old. He served in both World War II and the Korean War.
Medal of Honor
The bestowal of the Medal recognized Pena's actions on the evening of Sept. 4, 1950, near Waegwan, Korea, when his unit was fiercely attacked. During the course of the counter-attack, Pena realized that their ammunition was running out, and ordered his unit to retreat. Pena then manned a machine-gun to cover their withdrawal and single-handedly held back the enemy until morning when his position was overrun and he was killed.
Pena received the Medal of Honor posthumously in 2014.
The award came through the Defense Authorization Act which called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to ensure that no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor.
Medal of Honor citation
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (posthumously) to:
United States Army
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
Master Sergeant Mike C. Pena 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 Pena’s platoon. Recognizing the enemy’s approach, Master Sergeant Pena and his men opened fire, but the enemy’s sudden emergence and accurate, point blank fire forced the friendly troops to withdraw. Master Sergeant Pena 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 Pena 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 Pena’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.
Honors and awards
In addition to receiving the Medal of Honor, Pena received: