National Medal of Honor Day

[thedrifter]

March 24, 2009
National Medal of Honor Day

http://www.onemarinesview.com/.a/6a00d83452137a69e2011279851b8f28a4-800wi

The Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Generally presented to its recipient by the President of the United States of America in the name of Congress, it is often called the Congressional Medal of Honor.

http://www.cmohs.org/

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Guest column:
National Medal of Honor Day 2009
'Extraordinary results from ordinary people'
By Col. Robert Howard (U.S. Army, Retired), Special to Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes online edition, Wednesday, March 25, 2009

When I joined the military in 1956, I was like many young men my age who enlisted; I wanted to protect the ideals of this country and also build a career. Little did I know that my experiences would lead to a Medal of Honor, and how poignant those lessons would be even now — 53 years later — during our current national hardship.

Just after Christmas in 1968, I was on a mission to rescue a missing American soldier in enemy controlled Vietnam. We had just left the landing zone when we were attacked and many of us critically wounded, including me. For the next three and half hours, I had one choice: to lay and wait, or keep fighting for my men.

If I waited, I gambled that things would get better while I did nothing. If I kept fighting, no matter how painful, I could stack the odds that recovery for my men and a safe exodus was achievable.

On National Medal of Honor Day (March 25) — an annual tribute that I and other recipients humbly appreciate — I encourage Americans to recognize that in untenable situations, selfless people make the difference.

The Medal of Honor has been awarded only 3,448 times since the Civil War, and I’m reminded regularly by my fellow recipients (only 98 are living today) that extraordinary things can be accomplished by ordinary people from all parts of America.

Hard times ask us to put a greater good before our own interests. It is sometimes physically or emotionally painful. Yet throughout history, you will find common men and women who fought selflessly in a variety of ways for something so much larger than just their own benefit.

Today, we’re fighting terrorism and the spread of tyranny. We’re challenged by market upheaval, joblessness and perhaps hunger. But the human spirit is resilient and can withstand more than sometimes we are able to immediately comprehend.

It’s up to each of us to not lay and wait for better days, but instead look for opportunities to make the lives of those around us better. National Medal of Honor Day is not a celebration. It is a solemn time to reflect on the freedom we enjoy, its price, and how our own bravery can improve the world around us.

Col. Robert Howard (USA Ret.) is president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

Col. Robert Howard

As one of America's most decorated soldiers, Col. Robert Howard served five tours in Vietnam and is the only soldier in our nation's history to be nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor three times for three separate actions within a 13-month period.

During Vietnam, he served in the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and spent most of his five tours in the Special Operations Group, which ran classified cross-border operations into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam. These men carried out some of the most daring and dangerous missions ever conducted by the U.S. military.

Wounded 14 times in 54 months of combat duty in Vietnam, Robert Howard was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, The Silver Star, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and eight Purple Hearts.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Obama Honors Medal of Honor Recipients at Arlington National Cemetery
Posted Wednesday, March 25, 2009 :: Staff infoZine

President Barack Obama made an unannounced visit to Arlington National Cemetery yesterday, surprising about 30 of the 98 living Medal of Honor recipients attending a wreath-laying ceremony.

Washington, D.C. -infoZine - American Forces Press Service - Though it was first awarded some 150 years ago, only 3,448 troops have received the honor conferred for conspicuous courage at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.

Several hundred sightseers and tourists visiting the cemetery watched as the military heroes from World War II, Korea and Vietnam stood in two separate rows, facing the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Obama walked down the steps of the amphitheater toward the tomb, with two Medal of Honor recipients at his side, while two other recipients, using the aid of canes, followed down the steps.

The president was accompanied by retired Navy Lt. John W. Finn, a 92-year old veteran of World War II; retired Navy Capt. Thomas J. Hudner, an 84-year old Korean War veteran; retired Air Force Col. Joe M. Jackson, an 85-year old Vietnam War veteran; and retired Army Col. Robert L. Howard, a 69-year old Vietnam veteran.

Obama and the medal recipients walked together toward a large flowered wreath, bearing the words, "Medal of Honor Day," that soldiers carried on a stand and placed between them and the Tomb. Obama then placed his hands on the wreath. As a drum roll began, and Taps was played, the president the four heroes placed their right hands on their hearts.

The assembled medal recipients formed a receiving line as the president stopped to shake hands and talk briefly with each one.

In a White House statement released later in the day, the president praised all who wear the uniform of the nation's armed forces and singled out Medal of Honor recipients, who he characterized as the "bravest of the brave."

"Members of our Armed Forces hold themselves to the highest standards and set an example of responsibility to one another and to the country that should inspire all Americans to serve a purpose greater than themselves." Obama said. "Today we pay our respect to those who distinguished themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty - the recipients of the Medal of Honor.

"Since it was first awarded during the Civil War to the current battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, Medal of Honor recipients have displayed tremendous courage, an unfailing determination to succeed, and a humbling willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice," he said. "It is telling that so many Medal of Honor recipients received the award posthumously. These soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsman embody the best of American values and ideals.

"Medal of Honor recipients are the foremost example of greatness in service and sacrifice," Obama continued. "Their bravery and humble strength continues to reassure our nation of the strength of its character and ideals even in these difficult times. We owe these heroes a debt of gratitude that our nation can never fully repay.

"So, it is on this day that we salute that fact and celebrate their lives and heroic actions that have placed them amongst the "bravest of the brave," he said. "We must never forget their sacrifice and will always keep the Fallen and their families in our thoughts and prayers."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

National Medal of Honor Day (Really, It's Today, I Swear) [Gregory S. McNeal]

Today is National Medal of Honor Day. Over at Greyhawk, there's a pretty good roundup of blog posts and other stories about the day including links to some very moving stories of sacrifice.

Perhaps most disappointing, even sickening: a Google News search of "National Medal of Honor Day" returned 28 results. By comparison, "Octomom" returned 6,242 results while stories about torture and Guantanamo returned 5,510 results.

http://www.mudvillegazette.com/031723.html

Ellie

[giveen]

Semper Fi, to those who went above and beyond the call of duty.

[thedrifter]

Obama attends Medal of Honor Day wreath-laying at Arlington

Photo gallery
http://www.stripes.com/09/mar09/honor/

video

http://www.stripes.com/video.asp?id=61612

Ellie

[thedrifter]

National Medal Of Honor Day

Just one day after awarding the Medal of Honor to Bruce Crandall--a veteran of the Vietnam War--the U.S. Congress acted to recommend creation of a national "Medal of Honor Day."

WHY MARCH 25th? The date of March 25th was chosen to highlight this special day because it was on March 25 (1863) that the first Medals of Honor were presented...to six members of Andrews' Raiders.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT? National Medal of Honor day is celebrated in some communities, however for the most part the occasion comes and goes with little notice. As a patriotic American there are a few things YOU can do to commemorate this day:

FLY YOUR FLAG with pride and patriotism on this day.

REMEMBER OUR HEROES. As a gesture of your appreciation, why not take just a few moments in the week prior to National Medal of Honor Day to mail a "Thank You" card to one of our living Medal of Honor recipients. You can find a list of the living as well as information on writing to them among the pages of this site.

INFORM YOUR LOCAL MEDIA. Most newspapers aren't even aware that this special day exists. Why not tip your local media to the occasion. Before you do, check out our database for Medal of Honor recipients from your city and state as well as any who might be buried in your city. This information can give your media a "local angle" that can increase the probability that they will consider doing a story to remind Americans of our heroes.

Consider doing something in your local schools, or even on a civic level, if there is a Medal of Honor recipient living near your location. Visit our site on SCHOOL IDEAS for more information on school assemblies.


If there is a Medal of Honor recipient buried in your home town, get a school class, scout troop, or other youth organization to "adopt a grave site". You can read in our SCHOOL IDEAS pages how one school in Pueblo has used just such a program as a part of their Social Studies program.

http://images44.fotki.com/v1449/photos/2/292835/3200921/KY_Medal_of_Honor-vi.jpg

A statue in Louisville, Kentucky honors Medal of Honor recipients from Kentucky.Main article: List of Medal of Honor recipients

In total, 3,465 medals have been awarded to 3,446 different people. Nineteen men received a second award: 14 of these received two separate medals for two separate actions, and five received both the Navy and the Army Medals of Honor for the same action. Since the beginning of World War II, 854 Medals of Honor have been awarded, 528 posthumously. In total, 618 had their medals presented posthumously.

The first Army Medal of Honor was awarded to Private Jacob Parrott during the American Civil War for his role in the Andrews Raid. The only female Medal of Honor recipient is Mary Edwards Walker, a Civil War surgeon. Her medal was rescinded in 1917 along with many other non-combat awards, but it was restored by President Jimmy Carter in 1977.

While current regulations, (10 U.S.C. § 6241), beginning in 1918, explicitly state that recipients must be serving in the U.S. Armed Forces at the time of performing a valorous act that warrants the award, exceptions have been made. For example, Charles Lindbergh, while a reserve member of the U.S. Army Air Corps, received his Medal of Honor as a civilian pilot. In addition, the Medal of Honor was presented to the British Unknown Warrior by General Pershing on October 17, 1921; later the U.S. Unknown Soldier was reciprocally awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry, on November 11, 1921. Apart from these few exceptions, Medals of Honor can only be awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces - although being a U.S. citizen is not a prerequisite. Sixty-one Canadians who were serving in the United States armed forces have been awarded the Medal of Honor, with a majority awarded for actions in the American Civil War. Since 1900, only four have been awarded to Canadians. In the Vietnam War, Peter C. Lemon was the only Canadian recipient of the Medal of Honor.

http://images47.fotki.com/v1476/photos/2/292835/3200921/medals-vi.jpg

Ellie