Jesse Joseph Pena

Jesse Pena grew up in Davenport into an athletic family. In June 1968, after finishing high school he enlisted in the Navy and trained to be a medical corpsman. On his arrival in Vietnam in October 1969, he was attached to the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Corps Infantry in Quang Nam. On February 12, 1970 he was with a platoon on combat operations in the Que Sue Mountains. When the unit was ambushed by a large NVA force, he twice left his position of security to treat wounded Marines while under fire. Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Petty Officer Pena was killed by enemy fire and was awarded the Silver Star for his dedication. Pena was buried in the Rock Island National Cemetery in Rock Island, Illinois.