Down From Heaven - The 11th Airborne Division in World War II & Beyond
PFC Manuel Pérez, Medal of Honor - One Paratrooper's Assault on Fort McKinley in 1945
May 17, 202452 min · 8,536 words
Show notes
Join 11th Airborne Division historian Jeremy C. Holm as we discover the story of Private First Class Manuel Pérez, a Paratrooper from the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division, whose incredible actions on February 13, 1945 would earn this Angel the Medal of Honor.
Highlighted moments
Manuel's marksmanship scores were so low that the regiment considered kicking him out. However, with the help and guidance of some of the more experienced troopers in the regiment, Manuel turned things around and the regiment kept him, which was a decision that would affect the course of history in 1945.
“Manuel reaches down and grabs the Japanese rifle which had stuck in the ground kind of like a javelin and he picks it up and he kills that charging Japanese soldier with his own weapon. Manuel then kills two more Japanese soldiers with the Japanese rifle's bayonet and then he uses the rifle's butt to club two more Japanese soldiers to death.”
“that commendation came back as rejected two days later and I quote they were told the quota of Silver Stars has been filled.”
Transcript
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