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Whittier Daily News 20 August 2005
Dying veteran receives medals at his bedside
By Debbie Pfei ffer Trunnell, Staff Writer
PICO RIVERA -- Family members urged World War II veteran Thomas Pico to open his eyes on Friday as U.S. Rep. Grace Napolitano handed him six overdue medals for dangerous missions he flew during that long-ago war.
And for a moment, the eyes of the frail old soldier did flutter open to gaze at the medals and the faces of friends and relatives gathered at his bedside, where he has been fighting the last battle of his life against cancer.
"Sometimes there is something that people hold out for. This is probably it," said Skip Pico, Pico's son, as he stood near his dying father. "He talked about the war so often. I just wish this could have happened sooner."
Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs, fighting to control her tears as she handed the medals to Pico, said she was proud to bestow the honor.
"This is indeed a great honor for myself and this country," she said. "God Bless you, Tom, for your dedication and for preserving our freedom in our nation. You are a veterano' who has paid his dues."
As Napolitano watched, family members then laid the medals -- including the Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal-Army Loops, Honorable Service Lapel Button World War II, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal -- on the chest of the 82-year-old U.S. Army Air Force veteran.
In recent months, Napolitano's office requested the medals from the National Personnel Records Center Military Awards Branch, after they were contacted by Robert Valencia, a longtime friend of Pico.
"He expressed remorse to me for years about not having the medals and, about six months ago, even before he became ill, I decided it was absolute justice and something I could do," said Valencia.
Napolitano's office continues to work on getting the Purple Heart, an award given to those wounded in battle, to Pico. It is a more difficult medal to get because the older the war, the harder it is to find records, said Jesse Saucedo, field representative for Napolitano's office.
"I'm sorry we didn't have it, but I'm happy we got the others in time," he said. "We had been worried this would be a posthumous ceremony."
Pico's army career began in 1942, when he was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Force.
He was promoted to sergeant in 1945.
A gunner with the 7th Air Force Central Pacific Area 11th Bomb Group 431st Bomb Squadron, he flew 40 combat missions to targets including Truk, Wake Island, Ha Ha Jima, Chi Chi Jima, Iwo Jima and Param.
During the missions, his planes were hit by ground artillery fire and Japanese fighters 17 different times.
He shot down five fighters and damaged an additional three. He also faced such hardships as running out of fuel after landing and having planes catch on fire.
On Sept. 25, 1944, while flying the Sunsetter on a mission to Param, his plane was hit by Japanese fighters.
His plane was heavily damaged in the nose and top turret, and bullets tore Pico's helmet away, leaving him with injuries to his right temple and forehead.
"He was so brave, nothing less than that," said Valencia.
Pico, a Whittier High School graduate who was awarded the Ruby Key for graduating in the top 1 percent in his class, came back from the war and married Elaine Pico.
They had six children, and Pico supported the family with a job in the mail department at the Los Angeles Times.
A great-grandson of Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of California, he always supported events at the Pio Pico mansion. He was also active in the Senior Olympics, city veterans' posts, a community softball team, the Pico Rivera Senior Center and Pico Rivera Historical Society.
Those close to him said, more than anything, Pico was a proud veteran who loved to tell stories about the war to whoever would listen.
"He was always a proud serviceman, who was so happy to go out there and fight for his country and save lives," said Elaine Pico. "Maybe if he had never met me, he would have made a career out of it."
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