Rebecca Jordan filled with pride Monday as she stared into a glass case at Texas A&M University set up as a tribute to her uncle.
Inside rested silver pilot's wings neatly laid out and a gray photo of a smirking Pete Hughes with flight goggles pushed over his forehead.
And, in the center, was the coveted Medal of Honor -- the nation's highest award for valor.
"I'm ecstatic that it's here," said Jordan, who, with several other of Hughes' family members, was at the Sanders Corps of Cadets Center to officially present the medal for safe keeping. "It's going to be viewed by every person that comes to this building."
Jordan, now 53 and living in Austin, was several years away from being born the day Hughes died during a 1943 bombing raid over German-held oil refineries in the Romanian town of Campina, actions that made him the first of seven Aggies to receive the Medal of Honor, awarded by Congress.
But she had heard the story before.
Gasoline spewed from 2nd Lt. Lloyd H. "Pete" Hughes' mortally wounded B-24 bomber, the victim of Nazi anti-aircraft fire or flak from the exploding refineries just 50 feet below.
Hughes, the aircraft's pilot and 1943 Texas A&M graduate, could have attempted an emergency landing at nearby grain fields, but continued dropping the bombs. The
10-man crew completed the mission, but the plane crashed, killing Hughes and seven other crew members.
Now, the medal will join three others that Texas A&M has acquired: those of Turney Leonard, Class of '42; Dennis Keathley, Class of '37; and Eli Whiteley, Class of '41.
"You've given us a piece of your heart," said John Van Alstyne, the Corps' commandant, to the family. "We'll cherish it. We'll honor it."
Several family members spanning generations -- from Hughes' brother, John Jordan, to Jordan's grandson, a current Texas A&M student -- gathered at the center Monday morning to remember the Army pilot's actions that day. Several dozen community members, including current cadets, joined them.
Nearly 3,450 Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor since Jacob Parrott became the first recipient after trekking deep into Southern territory during the Civil War. The 33rd Ohio Infantry division private captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Ga., in an effort to destroy bridges and tracks between Chattanooga and Atlanta.
Hughes' family members point to the persistence of James Woodall, a former Corps commandant, in their decision to leave the medal in the hands of the Corps.
The center had two of the seven medals. But in November 2007, Woodall's quest to secure the rest began. He spent the next year or so scouring the Internet, surfing genealogy and other Web sites.
His goal is to house all of them at Texas A&M.
"They really ought to be here," he said.
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