Bill Text: TX HCR115 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Directing the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to U.S. Army Master Sergeant Mike C. Peña.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-06-13 - Signed by the Governor [HCR115 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HCR115-Enrolled.html
| H.C.R. No. 115 | ||
|
|
||
| WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established | ||
| to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the state | ||
| or federal military forces, and U.S. Army Master Sergeant Mike C. | ||
| Peña of Newgulf, who gave his life to save his fellow soldiers | ||
| during the Korean War, proved himself a deserving recipient of this | ||
| prestigious commendation; 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; 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 he 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 in | ||
| 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 he was buried with full military honors at | ||
| Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The outstanding service that Sergeant Peña rendered | ||
| over the course of his military career brought him more than 30 | ||
| decorations and awards, including the Distinguished Service Cross, | ||
| the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart with two oak leaf clusters, and | ||
| the Army Good Conduct Medal with bronze clasp and two loops; | ||
| moreover, his heroism in Korea was posthumously recognized with the | ||
| bestowal of the Congressional Medal of Honor at a White House | ||
| ceremony on March 18, 2014; in his hometown, he has been honored | ||
| with a memorial plaque at Newgulf Elementary School; moreover, a | ||
| Texas state highway, a gate at Fort Bliss, and a training center at | ||
| Fort Cavazos bear his name; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The extraordinary gallantry and immeasurable | ||
| sacrifice of Master Sergeant Mike C. Peña exemplify the proudest | ||
| tradition of service to country, and he is indeed deserving of this | ||
| state's supreme military commendation; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously | ||
| award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Mike C. Peña in | ||
| recognition of his valiant service during the Korean War. | ||
| Kitzman | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 115 was adopted by the House on May | ||
| 24, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 140, Nays 0, 1 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 115 was adopted by the Senate on May | ||
| 26, 2023, by a rising vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: __________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| __________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
