Private first class Eugene Obregon was 19, a small, quick kid from East L.A. Pfc. Bert Johnson, also 19, was a tall, rangy boy from Grand Prairie, Texas. Texans and Chicanos aren't supposed to get along, but "Obie" Obregon and "Bobo" Johnson had made it together from boot camp to the same machinegun squad in Korea.They were like brothers, as other Marines would later recall.
That afternoon of September 26, 1950, as the leading elements of the First Marine Division fought their waydown a wide, war-torn boulevard toward Changkok Palace, in the South Korean capital of Seoul, these two young Leathernecks were about to lend a new meaning to their Corps' motto: Semper Fidelis - Always Faithful. ``Suddenly the silence was shattered by fire from a camouflaged North Korean machinegun,'' Fred Davidson. A fellow Marine later wrote. ``Bert went down.'' Young Johnson had taken hits in his side, both legs and the right elbow. His skull was fractured by a fifth bullet hitting his helmet. Seeing his buddy fall, Obregon shouted. ``Stay put, Bobo. I'm coming for you!'' Johnson yelled back: ``Don't try it, Obie! Keep your cover!'' But Obregon was already on his way. Armed only with a pistol, firing as he ran, Obregon reached Johnson and dragged him to a curb, where he began bandaging his wounds. And at that moment a platoon-sized force of North Koreans attacked. Quickly seizing Johnson's carbine, Obregon placed himself as a shield in front of his buddy and continued firing until the enemy fell back, leaving 22 dead behind. This time, the determined North Koreans brought up a machinegun to support their attack. But refusing to giveway, Obregon continued firing, protecting his friend, until two machinegun bullets struck him in the face.
Obie's death had not been in vain. With time to reorganize, the Marines attacked, killing the remaining North Koreans. Despite his wounds, Bert Johnson survived, rotated home, and lived for 44 more years. ``And never did a day go by,'' recalled Johnson's friends, ``when Bobo didn't think of Gene Obregon, and the price he'd paid to give Bert back his life...''By his courageous fighting spirit, fortitude and loyal devotion to duiy, Pfc. Obregon enabled his fellow marines to rescue the wounded man and aided essentially in repelling the attack, thereby sustaining and enhancing the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
