Pedro Ortega Mendoza

Corporal Pedro Ortega Mendoza 

1925-1969 

Pedro Ortega Mendoza was born on September 17, 1925, in Sweetwater, TX to Gregorio and Manuela Ortega Mendoza. He grew up with one sister and four brothers. 

On January 20, 1949, he enlisted in the US Army at the age of 23 and served during the Korean War. He was assigned to the Headquarters Company 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, TX and then to Company I-26th Infantry Regiment at Fort Hood, TX. He was honorably discharged on September 13, 1952. Photographs of him in his uniform indicate he was awarded military ribbons but when the family requested records from the National Archives, the response was that the records were possibly destroyed in the 1973 National Archives fire. 

We feel that he enlisted because of the love he had for his country and that he took pride in his units and had a sense of duty and obligation to his country. 

After being honorably discharged, he was introduced to, Louisa Cerda Barrientos, by a mutual friend. They were married on April 10, 1955, in Colonia Sabinas, Coahuila, Mexico. They made their home in Freeport, TX and raised their five children: two sons and three daughters. 

He was an incredibly hard worker, and always provided for his family. He worked for Brazosport High School as a custodian. On the weekends, he would take his oldest son with him to cut yards to make extra money to support his family. One vivid memory was of him taking his family to the high school one year to protect everyone from an incoming hurricane. At the time of his passing, he worked for Wallace Industrial Constructors Inc. 

He was an incredibly loving and devoted father and husband. He would get up early in the morning to help his oldest son, who was around 11 years old at the time, with his paper route. Other times, he would rope the entire family into helping roll the newspapers, rubber band them, and place them in plastic bags on the days it was raining. Every Friday night, Pedro and his wife would go to the local VFW hall for bingo night and they would usually take one of their kids with them each time. He would also take his kids on trips to Mexico to visit extended family. 

In July 1969, Pedro and his wife were in the early stages of building a new family home. As a family, they moved in with a relative who lived two houses over. The land was cleared and the foundation was scheduled to be poured on July 28th. 

On Friday, July 25, 1969, Pedro and his wife were coming home from the VFW bingo night when they were in a car accident. Neither Pedro nor his wife, Louisa, survived. Pedro was 43 years old at the time of his death. The house was never built and the lot remained empty for decades. 

Pedro will be remembered for being a loving father and husband, being a hard worker, and for his life of service. That legacy of service has already continued with his younger son serving in the Navy, and his oldest grandson, serving in the Marine Corps. 

Pedro’s plaque lists Bible chapter 1 of the Book of Joel. Verse 3 states: “Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.” 

As a family, we will never forget the sacrifices he made. He will never be forgotten. 

Pedro’s plaque is located on the H wall, East side, Row 5. His plaque is next to his co-grandparent, Private First Class Gilberto Castilleja Romero and their oldest grandson, Staff Sergeant Robert Pedro Mendoza.