Yesterday I wrote about Joe Foss, a Marine who won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Today I am going to write about another Marine, and another Medal of Honor winner. This young man was named Eugene Obregon.
In September of 1950, Private First Class Obregon served in the First Marine Division in South Korea. One day, during a battle, Pfc Obregon fought next to Pfc Bert Johnson, a boy from Grand Prairie, Texas. The machine gun fire coming from the North Koreans inflicted severe injuries on Pfc. Johnson.
Seeing what had happened to his fellow Marine, Pfc Obregon dragged Pfc Johnson to safety. That act of valor allowed Bert Johnson to live another 40 years. That act of valor also exposed the face of Pfc Obregon to a hail of bullets. He died from the many enemy bullets that hit his face.
Because Pfc Obregon had shown valor in the heat of battle, he was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor. Officials in Los Angeles are now working on a memorial to all of the Latinos who have served in the armed forces and have thus won a Congressional Medal of Honor.
Tomorrow I will look at the Medal of Honor from a different perscpective–that of a young boy or girl, one who likes to play computer games.
