Manuel Pérez, Jr.

Private First Class Manuel Pérez, Jr. (March 3, 1923 – March 14, 1945) born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was a United States Army soldier who posthumously received the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration, for his actions in Battle of Luzon during the Philippines campaign of World War II.

Early years
Pérez was a Mexican-American born in Oklahoma City. As a young boy, he moved to Chicago, Ill where he was raised by his father, Manuel Pérez, Sr., and his paternal grandmother. There he received his primary and secondary education. He worked for Best Foods, Inc. before joining the United States Army upon the outbreak of World War II. After his basic training, the Army sent him to paratrooper school.

World War II
Japanese forces had invaded the Philippine islands and had under its control all of the U.S. Military Installations including Fort William McKinley which was located just south of Manila the capital. Fort William McKinley was where USAFFE (United States Army Forces - Far East) had its headquarters for the Philippine Department and the Philippine Division. The bulk of the Philippine Division was stationed here and this was where, under the National Defense Act of 1935, specialized artillery training was conducted.

In 1945, Pérez was sent to the Philippines and assigned to Company A 511th Parachute Infantry, 11th Airborne Division whose mission was to take Fort William McKinley. On February 13, as the 11th Airborne Division approached the fort, it encountered a strong enemy fortified sector. The sector was composed of cement pillboxes armed with .50-caliber dual-purpose machineguns which defended the entrance to the fort.

Upon the realization that the pillboxes (Blockhouses) were withholding the advance of his division, Pérez took it upon himself to charge the fortifications and blast them away with grenades. He killed 18 of the enemy before he was mortally wounded. Due to his actions his unit was able to advance successfully.

Medal of Honor citation
PEREZ, MANUEL, JR.  Rank and organization:Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A 511th Parachute Infantry, 11th Airborne Division.  Place and date:Fort William McKinley, Luzon, Philippine Islands, February 13, 1945.  Entered service at:Chicago, Ill  Born:March 3, 1923 Oklahoma City, Okla. '' G.O. No.: 124, December 27, 1945.  Citation:  He was lead scout for Company A, which had destroyed 11 of 12 pillboxes in a strongly fortified sector defending the approach to enemy-held Fort William McKinley on Luzon, Philippine Islands. In the reduction of these pillboxes, he killed 5 Japanese in the open and blasted others in pillboxes with grenades. Realizing the urgent need for taking the last emplacement, which contained 2 twin-mount .50-caliber dual-purpose machineguns, he took a circuitous route to within 20 yards of the position, killing 4 of the enemy in his advance. He threw a grenade into the pillbox, and, as the crew started withdrawing through a tunnel just to the rear of the emplacement, shot and killed 4 before exhausting his clip. He had reloaded and killed 4 more when an escaping Japanese threw his rifle with fixed bayonet at him. In warding off this thrust, his own rifle was knocked to the ground. Seizing the Jap rifle, he continued firing, killing 2 more of the enemy. He rushed the remaining Japanese, killed 3 of them with the butt of the rifle and entered the pillbox, where he bayoneted the 1 surviving hostile soldier. Single-handedly, he killed 18 of the enemy in neutralizing the position that had held up the advance of his entire company. Through his courageous determination and heroic disregard of grave danger, Pfc. Perez made possible the successful advance of his unit toward a valuable objective and provided a lasting inspiration for his comrades.

Honors
Pérez was buried with full military honors at Fairlawn Cemetery which is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The state government of Illinois honored the memory of Perez by naming a plaza located in Chicago's Little Village Square and a school after him. The Department of the Army the reserve center of the 221st Unit Army Hospital in Oklahoma City, the Manuel Perez Jr Reserve Center.

Date of death
His grave at Fairlawn Cemetery shows a date of death as March 14, 1945, a date found in the casualty list for the 511th PIR and division historian Lt. Gen. E.M. Flanagan.

Awards and recognitions
Among P.F.C. Manuel Pérez, Jr.' decorations and medals were the following:

Parachutist badge