CONTRIBUTED BY
STEPHEN P. PENLAND
OPELIKA —
The Army Awards and Decorations Branch has recently reviewed the records of Sgt. 1st Class Raymond D. Penland and determined he should have been awarded the Bronze Star for his actions in combat in North Korea.
The review was requested by his sons, Lt. Raymond C. Penland, USN (Ret.) and Stephen P. Penland of Opelika. The family received the medal this week.
Penland was killed in action in fighting around Hamhung, North Korea, on Dec. 16, 1950, and his remains are still buried there. More than 1,000 U.S. Army and Marines are still buried in unmarked graves in North Korea.
Penland was a veteran of World War II and was assigned as the Army recruiter in Opelika following that war. It was in Opelika that he met and married the former Sara Helen May. Penland’s awards and decorations also include The Purple Heart with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with Three Bronze Service Stars, Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), Combat Infantryman Badge with Star, United Nations Service Medal Republic of Korea – Korean War Service Medal and Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.