Captain Paul W. Pena , 27, of San Marcos, Texas passed away Jan. 19, 2010 in Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

He was born July 8, 1982 in San Antonio, Texas. Paul is preceded in death by his grandparents, John and Beatriz (Calderon) Pena. He is survived by his mother, Cecilia Pena of San Marcos; aunts, Carmen Pena Giombetti and husband, Vince, Celeste Calderon, uncles, John Pena and wife, Linda and Paul A. Pena; cousins, Cristina Pinto, Joanna White, Bridget Calderon, John F. Pena, Cate Pena, Luke Pena, Patrick Pena and Alicia Pena and he will be greatly missed by a host of friends and his Army family.

He was a member of the Junior ROTC at the San Marcos Baptist Academy where he was named "best all around student" by his school's National Honor Society chapter, and was voted most likely to succeed by his classmates. He created a disc golf course at the school for his Eagle Scout project. Pena graduated from the San Marcos Baptist Academy in 2000 and entered the U.S. Military Academy as a member of the class of 2004.

Following graduation from the USMA, he attended Infantry Officers Basic Course, Basic Airborne School and Ranger School at Fort Benning, GA.

Upon completion of his training, Paul reported to Fort Richardson, Alaska, with the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment (Airborne).

He was later assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC.

Pena's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with two Bronze Oak Leaf clusters, the Valorous Unit Award, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutists Badge and the Ranger Tab. He had previously been awarded the Bronze Star for heroic or meritorious achievement or service during his previous deployments.