PD Editorial: A fitting tribute for a local hero

Only a tiny fraction of American soldiers and sailors, airmen and Marines earn the nation’s highest military honor, the Medal of Honor. Far too many veterans suffer debilitating aftereffects of combat.

Richard Penry of Petaluma was in both categories.

A hero who saved the lives of fellow soldiers, he struggled after the war, felt abandoned by national leaders who sent him to fight in Vietnam, and he died young. Now, local veterans want to honor Penry by ensuring better outcomes for future vets.

First, however, Penry’s advocates need help from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

If he isn’t already familiar with Penry’s story, Newsom should make time to learn about this complicated war hero from the North Bay.

Penry — Butch to his friends and loved ones — served during the Vietnam War. As a 21-year-old Army sergeant on a night ambush mission in January 1970, his platoon got pinned down by enemy rockets, mortars and automatic weapon fire.

The company commander and most of the soldiers were killed or wounded. Only Penry was unhurt. He provided first-aid, tracked down a working radio to call for help and fended off 30 attackers through a long night before helicopters arrived to rescue the survivors. After carrying 18 wounded men to the evacuation site, Penry joined another platoon to pursue the enemy attackers.

His Medal of Honor citation concludes: “Sgt. Penry’s extraordinary heroism at the risk of his own life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.”

After returning home, Penry was honored at the White House, receiving his medal from President Richard Nixon in June 1971. He got a hero’s welcome in Petaluma, where the City Council proclaimed July 5, 1971, as Richard A. Penry Day and organized a parade in his honor.

But his experience in Vietnam weighed heavily. Friends and relatives said Penry returned a changed man, hardened by the war.

In 1974, Penry was arrested after selling cocaine to an undercover officer. He was arrested at least two more times before being sent to jail in 1976 for violating probation. As the years passed, family members say he grew bitter about the treatment of veterans of the unpopular war. Penry died in 1994 at age 45.

His story is tragic, but not unfamiliar. Many who serve in combat return home with wounds — physical and mental — that they carry for the rest of their lives.

A group of local military veterans believes that Penry probably suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. His children agree. “He came back with whatever everybody who went there came back with,” son Michael Penry said.

Services for veterans like Penry were sadly lacking in the 1970s — and still can be difficult to locate now, despite a clear need as many veterans deployed multiple times to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The local groups want to rename Petaluma’s Veteran’s Memorial Building in honor of Penry as part of a wider effort to connect veterans with organizations dedicated to their well-being.

Unfortunately, a criminal record is disqualifying for membership in some organizations, so the local vets want Newsom to take Penry’s struggles into account and expunge his record.

“We want to make it right,” retired Chief Warrant Officer Duane Wilson said, “because he’s not here to fight for himself.” Governor, we hope you’re listening.

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