SFC Pele was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in the Pleiku Province of North Vietnam during and attack by the VietCong. He continually put himself in harms way numerous times to protect his men and even had to run across an active firing zone to bring back one of his men that was wounded in the ambush. SFC Pele rescued that man and went back to ambush a Viet Cong .50 caliber position and was able to disable the position and gain possesion of the weapon and carried it back to his landing zone. His nomination however, was downgraded to a Silver Star and even though he petitioned Congress and continued to serve the U.S. government up until his death from cancer due to exposure to Agent Orange, he was not awarded the medal. SFC Pele was a highly respected man and was well known amongst the Samoan islands for his quite strength and steely resolve. He was a fine representative of the Samoan people and is still remembered to this day thanks to the Army Reserve base in Samoa being named for him. As the eldest child of SFC Pele, I carry his name and am obligated to see my father receive the accolades that he so richly deserved. I also do this for the Samoan people, who in a world of turmoil and strife, are a proud nation of warriors that have become more prominent in their contributions to world peace.