The Early Years
(12 Jul 1921 -
28 Jan 1942)
Army Air Forces
(28 Jan 1942 -
1 Aug 1943)
Post Ploesti
(2 Aug 1943 -
Present)
Official MOH Citations:
2nd Lt. Lloyd H. Hughes
(Lloyd "Pete" Herbert Hughes, Jr. - 12 Jul 1921 - 1 Aug 1943)
Source: Personal papers. Newspaper article from Section B of the Corpus Christi Caller, Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, USA, dated Wednesday, July 24, 1968.
A&M Names Halls After South Texas Heroes of WWII
Two South Texans who won the Medal of Honor during World War III have been honored at Texas A&M University by having dormitories named after them. They are Air Force 2nd Lt. Lloyd H. Hughes of Corpus Christi and Marine Sgt. William G. Harrell of Mercedes, both former students of A&M.
A&M President Earl Rudder said the action was taken in response to a student request that all dormitories be named rather than numbered. Six of the dormitories were renamed as a salute to former students who won the Medal of Honor during World War II.
Hughes was born in Alexandria, La. He entered the service at Corpus Christi and died winning his medal Aug. 1, 1943, in the air raid on the Ploesti oil fields in Romania.
Hughes was graduated from Refugio High School and moved here. He attended A&M and Del Mar College, where he played basketball in 1941. He entered the service about 18 months before his death. Hughes piloted his bomber, badly damaged by anti-aircraft fire and leaking gasoline, directly over the burning oil fields, hit the target and then crashed in flames.
Harrell won his medal March 3, 1945, in Iwo Jima, by defending a command post in hand-to-hand combat. He lost both hands but managed to hold the post and kill five Japanese. He died in 1964.
First Published: September 11, 2006
Last updated: October 09, 2008
