Ken Harbaugh tells the stories of service members who have distinguished themselves through an act of valor. These stories feature recipients from the Civil War to present day, including a few who were originally overlooked for the medal.
PFC Obregon was a fireman-turned-ammo carrier who saved a wounded Marine in the battle for Seoul. With an enemy platoon approaching, he shielded his fellow Marine’s body from fire at the cost of his own life.
Welcome to the Medal of Honor podcast, brought to you in partnership with the National Medal of Honor Museum. I’m Ken Harbaugh. In each episode, we’ll learn about a different service member who has distinguished him or herself through an act of valor.
Private First Class Eugene Arnold Obregon was born on November 12th, 1930 in Los Angeles, California. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps upon graduating high school.
In July 1950, Obregon was reassigned to the 1st Marine Provisional Brigade as an ammunition carrier. The brigade was hastily assembled using 5th Marine Regiment and Marines from other units as a response force to the North Korean invasion of South Korea. The brigade became part of the United Nations forces that would bolster the beleaguered South Korean forces on the Pusan Perimeter, where the North Koreans had encircled and nearly forced the Republic of Korea government off the peninsula.
On August 3rd, 1950, Obregon and his unit landed in Pusan and were immediately thrust into battle. The North Korean forces were repelled by 140,000 troops from the U.N. coalition along the Naktong River and nearby cities. Under the Command of Douglas MacArthur, a daring amphibious raid, which included Obregon’s unit, was then conducted at the northern city of Inchon to cut off North Korean supply lines. With the enemy in disarray, U.N. forces were prepared to contest Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea.
On September 26th, 1950, four days into the battle for Seoul, Obregon’s company was pinned by enemy fire. With only a pistol, Obregon raced across a road to rescue a wounded Marine, PFC Bert Johnson. Firing back at the enemy, he brought Johnson back to cover. As Obregon bandaged his fellow Marine, an enemy platoon closed in on their position. He fired back using Johnson’s carbine and shielded him from enemy fire. Obregon was killed by enemy machine gun fire, but his body stopped Johnson from enduring additional wounds.
On August 30th, 1951, Obregon was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by the Secretary of the Navy for his actions at the Battle of Seoul. His parents accepted the award on his behalf. His other awards include the Purple Heart, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Korean Service Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal.
PFC Johnson, who Obregon saved, survived the battle and recovered. Obregon’s sacrifice is commemorated by several parks and monuments in the greater Los Angeles area, as well as through a prepositioning ship called the USNS PFC Eugene A. Obregon.
The Medal of Honor Podcast is a production of Evergreen Podcasts.
Nathan Corson is our producer and engineer, León Pescador is our script writer, Declan Rohrs is our script editor and recording engineer, and I’m Ken Harbaugh.
We are proud to support the National Medal of Honor Museum. To learn more, and to support their mission, got to mohmuseum.org. Thanks for listening.
