PFC  Pedro  Cano   19. Juni 1920 - 24. Juni 1952

C -  Company / 8th Infantry - 4th Infantry Division

On the 2nd of December, 1944 at 0800, Private Pedro Cano advanced with the assault elements of his Company C (1st Battalion) during an attack against strong German defenses in the Hurtgen Forest, near Schevenhutte, Germany. When his platoon was pinned down by two hostile machine guns covering a minefield, Cano, armed with a rocket launcher, ran through the intense machine gun fire to the right flank of his company. At this point Company C had experienced 15 or more casualties. Although Cano had no knowledge of where the mines were planted or how dense the minefield was, he crawled through this dangerous area for a distance of twenty-five yards over rough , thickly wooded ground which afforded him little cover and scant visibility, and which was crisscrossed by deadly automatic fire. Cano crawled forward to a point within ten yards of the first enemy machine gun and fired his rocket launcher (bazooka) directly into the enemy emplacement. This reduced the hostile position, killing two gunners and five supporting riflemen. Private Cano then fired at the second German nty yards from the third enemy machine gun, he fired directly into it, destroying the gun and two gunners. Private Cano started back to Company C but on his way he noticed a German soldier was taking two of their officers and a platoon sergeant prisoner. Cano took a bead on the German and plinked him with his M-1

machine gun emplacement from the same position, killing two more gunners and forcing five supporting riflemen to withdraw. His actions permitted Company C to advance. Meanwhile, Company K came abreast of Company C on the left flank and was pinned down by withering crossfire from two additional hostile machine guns. Private Cano, aware of Company K's difficulty, crossed his own company's front and, after determining the position of the German guns, approached them stealthily from the flank. He crept forward through Company K's zone of action until he reached a point fifteen yards from the hostile machine guns. Firing one rocket launcher, Private Cano reduced the nearest gun and killed two gunners. He then single-handedly reloaded his bazooka, normally a two man function, and fired at the second enemy machine gun from the same position, which destroyed the gun and killed two more gunners. ^[5]

On the following day, December 3rd, at 0830, Private Pedro Cano's Company C jumped off in the attack and was pinned down in a pine forest by deadly crossfire from eight enemy machine guns. Private Cano, still armed with a rocket launcher, crawled forward in the face of this heavy fire over terrain which afforded him neither adequate cover nor visibility to a position fifteen yards from the first gun. Private Cano fired a rocket at the first enemy machine gun, which destroyed the gun and killed two gunners. Private Cano then crept ten yards toward the second gun and, having reached a point fifteen yards from the weapon, again fired his rocket launcher . He destroyed the second machine gun, killed two gunners and again, single-handedly reloaded his weapon, a feat normally done by two persons. Private Cano then crawled another fifteen yards through heavy rifle fire toward the third gun. Having reached a point twenty yards from the third enemy machine gun, he fired directly into it, destroying the gun and two gunners. Private Cano started back to Company C but on his way he noticed a German soldier was taking two of their officers and a platoon sergeant prisoner. Cano took a bead on the German and plinked him with his M-1.

Verleihung des Distinguished Service Cross durch General Wainwright and Pedro Cano am 26. April 1946 in Edinburg/Texas

Am 18. März 2014 verlieh der damalige US Präsident Barack Obama die Medal of Honor posthum an Pedro Cano. Die Tochter von Pedro Cano, Dominga wurde der Orden überreicht. 

Steven Cano, der Sohn eines Cousin von Pedro Cano kam 2016 mit seiner Familie in den Hürtgenwald und ich begleitete sie bei Touren durch den Hürtgenwald und führte sie zu der Stelle im Wald südwestlich von Hof Hardt, wo Pedro Cano Anfang Dezember 1944 im Einsatz war.