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Former Austin Bar President Richard Pena was honored for his military service in Vietnam by a Texas veterans program.
The Texoma Hero Program is a joint project of U.S. Army veteran Billy Teague and HOT 107.3 FM in Sherman, Texas. The program has recognized local and regional veterans for their service since 2015.
Richard was named the March 2025 Texoma Hero.
“Our newest recipient is Richard Pena, Specialist 4 / SP4, United States Army, Vietnam Veteran, and co-author of the book, Last Plane Out of Saigon. He has spent a lifetime of service to others, from his honorable military service to his distinguished law career. We are honored to have the opportunity to recognize him and say, ‘Thank you!’” Teague said in a statement.
Richard left Vietnam on the last day of the American military’s involvement in that country in March 1973.
Richard earned his J.D. from UT Law. Early on in his career, along with other Hispanic lawyers, he founded and became the inaugural president for the Mexican-American Bar Association (later renamed the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin).
He served as the president of the State Bar of Texas from 1998 to 1999 and is a past chair of the Texas Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation.
In 2007 the Austin Bar honored Richard with the Distinguished Lawyer Award. In 2010, he received the American Bar Association General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division’s Difference Makers Award.
In 2020, he received the American Bar Association Spirit of Excellence Award for his excellence in the legal profession and for promoting diversity in the profession. The ABA National Conference of Bar Presidents honored Richard with its 2024 NCBP Fellows Award.
In October 2023, the American Bar Association recognized Richard as a trailblazer and among the most influential Hispanics in law.
He served on the Executive Committee of the ABA National Conference of Bar Presidents from 2000 to 2003. Richard has led delegations of Texas and U.S. lawyers to numerous countries, including Turkey, South Africa, China, Tibet, Cuba, Vietnam, Cambodia, Egypt, India, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Ireland, and Brazil. He was chair of a U.S.-Russia joint conference on the rule of law in St. Petersburg, Russia.
In 2006, he received the Eisenhower Achievement Award for being an outstanding leader. His trip to Egypt was featured in an article in the Austin American-Statesman, as well as in the Austin Business Journal. Richard continues to lead delegations abroad and has taken numerous trips with delegates to various parts of the world.
Richard shared his experiences in Vietnam as part of a video series produced by the Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation. Watch his interview here.