SAN ANTONIO — More than 70 years after his death, the family of a San Antonio service member killed in the Korean war was presented with the medals he earned through the ultimate sacrifice.
“Yours Always, Marcos Perez,” Robert Perez read the last words his father, Private First-Class Marcos H. Perez, wrote home to his wife Victoria.
“That was the day before the advance,” he explained to Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio).
He shared his father’s letter with the legislator during an intimate ceremony Wednesday.
“One of the biggest honors that I have as a member of Congress is to award medals to our servicemembers,” Castro said. “And sometimes, unfortunately, posthumously to their family.”
Perez came to the us from Mexico at the age of 5. He joined the army in his late 30s during the Korean war. His first application was rejected because he would be leaving five children behind. When the war escalated, he volunteered again and was accepted.
“My Mom didn’t want him to go, but he said, ‘If I don’t go, who will go?’” Robert said. “He left and never came back.”
Today, his children were presented with his Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal and his U-N Service Medal.
“These medals only tell part of Mr. Perez’s courage and selfless devotion to the United States of America,” Castro said.
Robert knew his father as a handyman and a parent, not a soldier. But his father’s sacrifice did inspire him to join up when he saw the need.
“When the Vietnam war broke out, I didn’t wait to get drafted,” Robert said. “I volunteered.”
Just over seventy years after his father’s death, Robert said receiving these medals offers his family a sense of closure.
“It’s never going to replace him, but at least it’ll bring honor to his name,” he said.