| 3
MAR 1847 |
Congress
authorizes a "certificate of merit" be presented by
the President when a "private soldier distinguishes
himself in the service", along with additional pay of $2
per month. |
| 13
FEB 1861 |
Army Assistant
Surgeon Bernard
J.D. Irwin rescues the 60 soldiers of 2d Lt. George
Bascom's unit at Apache Pass, AZ. Though the Medal of
Honor had not yet been proposed in Congress (and actually
wouldn't even be presented to Irwin until 1894, it was the
First heroic act for which the Medal of Honor would be
awarded. |
| 24
MAY 1861 |
In Alexandria,
VA Army Private Francis
Edwin Brownell performs the first action of the Civil War
to merit the Medal of Honor |
| 26
JUN 1861 |
Aboard the
U.S.S. Pawnee, John
Williams courage despite his wounds, his refusal to leave
any man behind, and his love for the flag became the first act
by a member of the U.S. Navy to merit the Medal of Honor. |
| 21
JUL 1861 |
Eleven
soldiers at the Battle of Bull Run perform actions that
eventually will make them recipients of the Medal of
Honor. The number includes Dr.
Mary Walker who was involved in three major battles and
became the ONLY woman to get the Medal. |
| |
In all, 25
soldiers and 5 sailors would perform Medal of Honor actions in
the months from Bernard Irwin's first heroic act to the
establishment of the Navy Medal in December. |
| 9
DEC 1861 |
Iowa Senator
James W. Grimes, chairman of the Senate Naval Committee,
introduces S. No.82 in Congress to create a medal of honor to
promote the efficiency of the Navy. |
| 21
DEC 1861 |
President
Abraham Lincoln approves the Congressional action to provide
for 200 Navy Medals of Honor. |
| 17
FEB 1862 |
Massachusetts
Senator Henry Wilson introduces a bill in Congress to provide
for an Army
Medal of Honor for "privates in the Army of the
United States who shall distinguish themselves in
battle." |
| 12
APR 1862 |
Civilian spy
James J. Andrews and 19 volunteers begin their "Great
Locomotive Chase" behind enemy lines in Georgia. |
| 12
MAY 1862 |
At Drewry's
Bluff, VA aboard the U.S.S. Galena, Corporal John
Mackie became the first Marine to earn the Medal of Honor.
When he received the award aboard the U.S.S. Seminole on 10
July 1863 he became the first Marine to also receive the
award. |
| 18
JUN 1862 |
Seven of
Andrew's Raiders are hanged as spies in Atlanta. Four of
them will eventually be awarded Medals of Honor...the first to
die in their moment of heroism. |
| 12
JUL 1862 |
President
Lincoln approves the legislation authorizing the preparation
of 2,000 Medals of Honor to "be presented, in the name of
the Congress, to such non-commissioned officers and privates
as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in
action, and other soldier-like qualities." Already
88 soldiers have performed heroic actions that will be
ultimately awarded Medals of Honor. |
| 17
SEP 1862 |
Twenty U.S.
Army soldiers perform heroic acts at Antietam that would
eventually become recognized by Medal of Honor presentations. |
| 13
DEC 1862 |
At
Fredericksburg, VA, Nineteen soldiers perform Medal of Honor
actions. |
| 3
MAR 1863 |
The Act of 3
March 1863 extended the presentations of the Army Medal of
Honor to officers, as well as non-commissioned officers and
privates. (The Navy medal continued to be reserved for
enlisted personnel ONLY.) |
| 25
MAR 1863 |
Secretary of
War Edwin Stanton presents the first Medals of Honor to six of
the surviving members of Andrew's Raiders. They are the
first Medals ever presented. |
| 3
APR 1863 |
The Navy
presents its first Medals of Honor to 41 sailors, 17 of them
for actions in the attacks at Forts Jackson and St. Philip (24
Apr 1862). |
| 22
May 1863 |
Ninety-six
soldiers perform Medal of Honor actions at Vicksburg,
Mississippi....the highest one day total in the Medals entire
history. In all, 120 Medals of Honor were earned at
Vicksburg. |
| 30
JUN 1863 |
Approximately
300 of the 864 members of the 27th Maine agree to remain to
guard Washington, DC after their enlistment had expired.
In return Secretary of War Edwin Stanton submitted the entire
group of volunteers for Medals of Honor. A typographical
error resulted in all 864 of the 27th Maine's soldiers being
awarded Medals of Honor for their extra 4 days of service.
(All were revoked in the purge of 1917). |
| 1
JUL 1863 |
Four days of
battle at Gettysburg added 58 Medals of Honor to the war
total. |
| 18
JUL 1863 |
At Fort
Wagner, SC the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry faced their
first major test of combat. Former slave William
Harvey Carney became the first Black American to earn the
Medal of Honor. |
| 5
AUG 1864 |
Ninety-eight
Americans received Medals of Honor for actions this day at
Mobile Bay, Alabama. The total included 90 sailors and 8
Marines. |
| 2
APR 1865 |
Fifty-two
soldiers earn Medals of Honor at Petersburg, VA. |
| 6
APR 1865 |
Fifty-six
soldiers earn Medals of Honor at Deatonsville (Sailor's
Creek), VA. Among them on this day was 2d
Lt. Thomas Custer (yes, he was the brother of the famous
General Custer) who earned his
SECOND Medal of Honor, becoming the ONLY ARMY MAN in the Civil War
to receive TWO. |
| 11
APR 1865 |
General Lee
surrenders at Appomattox Courthouse and the Civil War ends. |
| 19
APR 1865 |
In the week
following Lee's surrender 8 more Medals of Honor were earned,
7 of them at Columbus, GA. The 9th and last Medal of
Honor of the Civil War was earned on April 19th at Greensboro,
NC by Charles
Malone Betts. |
| 12
May 1865 |
In Nebraska
Army Private Frank
W. Lohnes becomes the first official Medal of Honor
recipient of the Indian Campaigns, his action preceded only by
Bernard Irwin's 4 years earlier. His award is presented
just two months after his action. |
| 11
NOV 1865 |
Rather than
grant Dr.
Mary Walker's request for a commission in the U.S. Army,
President Johnson orders that she be given the Medal of
Honor. (The award was revoked in the purge of 1917, then
restored in 1977). |
| 31
DEC 1865 |
680 of the
eventual 1520 total Medals awarded for Civil War actions (not
counting those of the 27th Maine), have been presented.
From 1866 to 1890 a total of 105 more will be awarded.
From 1890 to 1899 more Medals will be awarded for Civil War
action that were awarded during the war...a total of 683 in
the last decade of the century. |
| 1865
- 1891 |
During the
period from the end of the Civil War to New Years Day, 1891
all but two of the 242 Medals of Honor awarded for the Indian
Campaigns were earned. The exceptions were the earlier
award to Irwin, and the last action which occurred on 5 OCT
1898. |
| 9
JUN 1871 |
Three sailors
earn Medals of Honor for action in Korea. These were the
first Medals of Honor earned on foreign soil. Over
the following two days twelve more Americans earn Medals of
honor...9 sailors and 6 Marines in all. |
| 1876 |
Due to the
large number of men submitted for Medals of Honor after the
Battle of the Little Big Horn, a review board of officers was
assembled to consider the requests. The number was pared
down to 24 men, and a "new standard" was applied
that "the conduct which deserves such recognition should
not be the simple discharge of duty, but such acts beyond this
that if omitted or refused to be done, should not justly
subject the person to censure as a shortcoming or
failure." |
| 23
APR 1890 |
The MEDAL OF
HONOR LEGION is established to protect the integrity of the
Medal. |
| 2
May 1896 |
Congress
approved legislation authorizing "a rosette or knot
to be worn in lieu of the medal, and a ribbon to be worn with
the medal." (20 Stat. 473) |
| 10
NOV 1896 |
For the first
time a change is made in the DESIGN
of the Medal of Honor. The change is only in the
suspension ribbon and affects only the Army's Medal of Honor. |
| 26
JUN 1897 |
With more than
700 Civil War soldiers applying for Medals of Honor since
1890, President William McKinley had directed the Army to
establish new policies regarding Medal of Honor applications
and awards. Published on this date the new
regulations:
...Established that Medals of Honor could only be
awarded for "gallantry and intrepidity" above and
beyond that of one's fellow soldiers,
...Required that a submission for the Medal of Honor be
made by a person other than the veteran who had performed the
heroic deed,
...Required the testimony, under oath, of one or more
eyewitnesses to the heroic deed.
...Set a time limit of one year for any person to
be submitted for the Medal of Honor for an act occurring after
26 June 1897. |
| 1
FEB 1898 |
The Army
issues proper instruction for display of the Medal of Honor
suspended from a ribbon hung around the neck of the recipient.
(For the next half century Army Medals of Honor were sometimes
displayed in this fashion, at other times pinned to the tunic
of a soldier's uniform.) |
| 15
FEB 1898 |
The U.S.S.
Maine mysteriously explodes in Havana Harbor killing 258
American soldiers and launching the Spanish-American
War. From 1 May to 26 July, 109 soldiers, sailors
and Marines earned Medals of Honor. All but 12
were awarded within a year of the war's end. |
| 1
APR 1899 |
Three Marines
and one Sailor earn Medals of Honor in Samoa. |
| 20
JUN 1900 |
Twenty-nine
Americans earn Medals of Honor in China (the Boxer Rebellion)
in a campaign that will see 30 more awards for heroism by
August 14th. |
| 21
SEP 1901 |
Secretary of
War Eli Root appoints a board headed by Civil War medal
recipient Major
General Arthur MacArthur to review Medal of Honor
submissions from the Spanish American War and the continuing
conflict in the Philippine Islands. |
| 19
APR 1902 |
U.S. War
Department Special Orders No. 93, Paragraph 14 continues the
board appointed by Eli Root "for the purpose of examining
applications and recommendations for Medals of Honor and
Certificates of Merit. |
| 23
APR 1904 |
Congress
authorizes a distinctive new design for the Army Medal of
Honor, the brainchild of General
George Gillespie who had received the Medal of Honor
during the Civil War. The new "Gillespie
Medal" retains the star shape but surrounds it with a
green laurel. The Medal is suspended from a newly
designed blue ribbon bearing 13 stars from a bar on which is
printed the word "VALOR". Upon authorizing the
new Medal of Honor design, Congress requires Medal recipients
to return their original Medals to be replaced with the new. |
| 10
JAN 1906 |
In ceremonies
at the White House, President Theodore Roosevelt presents the
Medal of Honor to Spanish-American war hero James
R. Church in keeping with his earlier Executive Order:
"The presentation of a Medal of Honor to an
officer or enlisted man in the military service, awarded under
the Joint Resolution of Congress approved July 12, 1863, will
always be made with formal and impressive ceremonial.
"The recipient will, when practicable, be ordered
to Washington, D.C., and the presentation will be made by the
President, as Commander-in-Chief, or by such representative as
the President may designate.
"When not practicable to have the presentation at
Washington, the details of time, place, and ceremony will be
prescribed by the Chief of Staff for each case.
"On campaign, the presentation will be made by the
Division or higher commander." (September 20, 1905) |
| 27
FEB 1907 |
Recipients of
the earlier designs for the Medal of Honor have shown
reluctance to return their "old" medals for the new
"Gillespie" medals because of the sentimental value
their original award holds for them. In response
Congress authorizes them to be issued the new design without
turning in their original Medals and instructs that those who
had previously turned in their Medals have them returned to
them. The legislation specifies, however, that both
Medals (original and Gillespie) can not be worn at the same
time. |
| 1913 |
The Navy
changes the ribbon
from which their Medal of Honor is suspended to a blue ribbon
with 13 white stars, similar to the design of the ribbon
patented with Gillespie's Medal of Honor for the Army.
Other slight changes in design are also made. |
| 3
MAR 1915 |
Authorized the
President to present "a suitable Medal of Honor to be
awarded to any officer of the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast
Guard who shall have distinguished himself in battle or
displayed extraordinary heroism in the line of his
profession." Previously the award was reserved for
enlisted personnel ONLY, but this act made it available to
officers as well. (38 Stat. 928, 931) |
| 24
Oct 1915 |
Three Marines
earn Medals of Honor in Haiti. On the 17th of the
following month three more Marines earn Medals of Honor in
Haiti. |
| 27
APR 1916 |
Congress
passes legislation to establish "The Army and Navy Medal
of Honor Roll" and authorizes a $10 monthly pension for
Medal recipients over age 65. |
| 3
JUN 1916 |
"A board
to consist of five general officers on the retired list of the
Army shall be convened...for the purpose of investigating and
reporting upon past awards or issue of the so-called
congressional medal of honor." |
| 16
OCT 1916 |
The BOARD OF
GENERALS authorized in the previous legislation convened under
Lt.General
Nelson Miles, a Medal recipient from the Civil War.
General Miles had taken an active role in promoting
legislation to protect the Medal as commander of the Medal of
Honor Legion and approached the work of his committee with
determination and dedication. Every award of the Army
Medal of Honor since the Civil War was reviewed. The
recipients were anonymous to the board, represented only by a
number. |
| 5
FEB 1917 |
The Medal of
Honor review board released its findings, striking the names
of 911 medal recipients from the honor roll. The
stricken names included all the medals awarded to the 27th
Maine, 29 members of President Lincoln's funeral guard, and
six civilians (whose courage the board did not deny, but who
were ruled ineligible for the Medal due their civilian
status). Five of the civilians were scouts from the
Indian Campaigns including Buffalo
Bill Cody. The sixth was Civil War Assistant
Surgeon Mary Walker. Though she had participated in
major campaigns from Bull Run to Chickamauga, even endured
three months as a Confederate prisoner of war, her civilian
status denied her continued recognition as a Medal of Honor
recipient. |
| 17
APR 1917 |
The last
Medals of Honor awarded for Civil War action are presented to Henry
Lewis and Henry
Peters, bringing to a close the controversial and divisive
scramble of Civil War vets for the coveted award, and opening
the way for new legislative protections. |
| 23
JUN 1917 |
Commander Willis
Winter Bradley, Jr. aboard the U.S.S. Pittsburgh becomes
the first Medal of Honor recipient of World War I.
In all 119 soldiers, sailors, marines, and for the first time
AIRMEN performed heroism meriting their Nation's highest award
over the following two years. Only 4 such awards were
actually presented during the period of the war, the remainder
came as a result of a review of World War I awards of
the Distinguished Service Cross at the request of General John
J. Pershing. The last presentation of a World War I
Medal of Honor would not occur until the closing decade of the
century. |
| 9
JUL 1918 |
The Medal of
Honor was born in 1862, but it was the act of 9 July 1918 that
defined the future of the award, while further eliminated the
Certificate of Merit while establishing the new "Pyramid
of Honor" providing for lesser awards (The Distinguished
Service Cross, The Distinguished Service Medal, and the Silver
Star). A key difference between the levels of awards was
spelled out, "That the President is authorized to
present, in the name of the Congress, a medal of honor only to
each person who, while an officer or enlisted man of the Army,
shall hereafter, in action involving actual conflict with an
enemy, distinguish himself conspicuously by gallantry and
intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call
of duty." The lesser awards were authorized for
presentation by the President, "BUT NOT IN THE NAME OF
CONGRESS."
The act of July
9th further established time limits to avoid problems like
those encountered with Civil War veterans seeking the award.
Recommendations for Medals of Honor had to be made within 2
years of the act of heroism for which it was to be awarded,
and the Medal was to be presented within 3 years.
The act of July 9th was
further clarified in September, then again in February 1919,
to stipulate that no person could receive more than ONE Medal
of Honor. Previously there had been 19
DOUBLE AWARDS of the Medal, but hereafter, while there
were provisions for second and consecutive awards of lesser
medals to be made and noted with appropriate ribbon devices,
no more than ONE Medal of Honor could be awarded.
|
| 3
MAY 1919 |
Six months
after the end of World War I the Medal of Honor is presented
in France to Sergeant
Alvin C. York. It was a historic event for the
Medal not so much at the time but for the legendary status its
recipients would receive in the years to follow. |
| 7
DEC 1941 |
Five minutes
before Japanese aircraft fell upon Pearl Harbor, the air field
at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii was attacked. There Navy Lieutenant
John Finn earned the first Medal of Honor of World War II.
Fourteen more sailors earned Medals of Honor that day at Pearl
Harbor, ten of them posthumously. |
| 7
Aug 1942 |
The TIFFANY
CROSS established for non-combat naval heroism in 1942 had
proven unpopular, perhaps because it so closely resembled the
German Iron Cross. It was also poorly regulated and
documented. The Act of August 7th restored the
earlier provisions of the Navy Medal of Honor for non-combat
heroism and eliminated the Tiffany Cross and the two-medal
system. |
| 27
SEP 1942 |
At Guadalcanal
Canadian Born Douglas
Munro becomes the first, and ONLY, member of the U.S.
Coast Guard to receive the Medal of Honor. Munro
was killed in action during his moment of valor. |
| 23
May 1943 |
In the frozen
Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Colorado's Private
Joseph P. Martinez becomes the first Hispanic-American to
receive the Medal of Honor during World War II. His
posthumous award was the first act for combat heroism on
American soil (other than the 15 at Pearl Harbor) since the
Indian Campaigns. |
| 10
NOV 1943 |
In Italy for
Arkansas football star and Detroit Lion Pro Captain
Maurice "Footsie" Britt earns the Medal of
Honor. Having already earned the DSC and the Silver
Star, it is the first time in military history that a soldier
earned all of the military's top awards in a single war. |
| 26
JAN 1945 |
In France a
small, fair featured boy from Texas becomes the most decorated
soldier of World War II. Audie
Leon Murphy came to epitomize the heroism of America's
finest and went on to achieve unprecedented celebrity status. |
| 5
APR 1945 |
Japanese-American
boys had struggled long to prove their loyalty to the United States despite paranoia and prejudice at home. The
442d Infantry Regiment built an impressive record of valor.
On this day PFC
Sadao S. Munemori became the only Japanese-American of the
war to earn his Nation's highest honor. His Medal of
Honor, presented posthumously to his mother, is on display at
the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. |
| 29
JUL 1945 |
In the
Philippine Island's Army Corporal
Melvin Mayfield earns the last Medal of Honor of World War
II. |
| 1946 |
The
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR SOCIETY is formed. |
| 20
JUL 1950 |
General
William F. Dean and George
Dalton Libby earn the first Medals of Honor of the
Korean War. Libby was killed in action and General Dean
was taken as a Prisoner of War. |
| 5
AUG 1950 |
The United
States Air Force was born on July 26, 1947 when President
Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947. On this
date in 1950 Louis
Sebille became the first flier of the now separate AIR
FORCE to earn the Medal of Honor. In all, FOUR Air Force
officers received Medals of Honor for action in Korea...all of
them posthumous awards. (These four men, as had members
of the earlier Air Service and Army Air Corps, were awarded
Army Medals of Honor. |
| 25
JUL 1953 |
Ambrosio
Guillen becomes the last of 131 Americans to receive the
Medal of Honor in Korea. Guillen's posthumous award was
one of 94 awarded to heroes killed during their moment of
valor in Korea. |
| 10
AUG 1956 |
Legislation is
authorized providing members of the United States Air Force
with their own, distinctive design for an Air Force Medal of
Honor separate from that of the Navy and Army. |
| 5
AUG 1958 |
The Medal of
Honor Society is absorbed into the Congressionally Chartered
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA under Title 38, USC. |
| 25
JUL 1963 |
Congress
amended Titles 10 and 14 of the US Code establishing criteria
and guidelines for award of the Medal of Honor:
...It would be awarded for action against an enemy of
the United States,
...while engaged in military operations involving
conflict with an opposing foreign force, or
...while serving with friendly forces (such as was the
case with the UN forces in Korea) in an armed conflict against
an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a
belligerent party. |
| 13
OCT 1964 |
Changes in
Medal of Honor legislation provided for a $100 per month
pension for Medal of Honor recipients over the age of 50. |
| 17
DEC 1964 |
Army Special
Forces Captain
Roger Donlon becomes the first Medal of Honor hero of the
Vietnam war. |
| 1965 |
The AIR FORCE
introduces the design for their distinctive Air Force Medal of
Honor, similar in design to that of the Army Medal of Honor
only larger and displaying the head of the Statue of Liberty
and other design changes. Each branch of service, Army,
Navy/Marines/Coast
Guard, and Air
Force now has its own medal design. All three
branches display the Medal suspended below a neck ribbon. |
| 23
JAN 1967 |
In Vietnam, Bernard
Francis Fisher becomes the first airman to earn the Air
Force's newly designed Medal of Honor. In all, 12 USAF
servicemen received Medals of Honor including John
Levitow, the first enlisted man to receive the award. |
| 31
OCT 1972 |
Navy SEAL Michael
Thornton performs the last Medal of Honor action of the
Vietnam war, saving the life of his SEAL Team Leader Lt.
Tommy Norris. Six months earlier Norris had been
submitted for the Medal of Honor for heroic actions to rescue
downed pilots. It was the first time since the battle at
the Citadel in Korea in 1871 that a Medal of Honor was awarded
for saving the life of a Medal of Honor recipient.
(This, though Norris did not receive his award until 1976.) |
| 10
JUN 1977 |
Army Secretary
Clifford Alexander, Jr. orders the restoration of the Civil
War award of the Medal of Honor to Dr.
Mary E. Walker. She is the only woman ever
awarded the Medal of Honor...but not the only woman whose name
appears on the official Honor Roll. |
| 12
JUN 1989 |
The United
States Army restores the Medals of Honor to 5 civilian scouts
from the Indian Campaigns, including the award to William
"Buffalo Bill" Cody. All 5 awards had been
included in the purge of 1917. |
| 24
APR 1991 |
World War I
had yielded no Black Medal of Honor recipients, not due to any
lack of courage by America's "soldiers of color" but
instead to the unjust prejudices of the time. On this
date President George Bush corrected this sad part of Medal of
Honor history when he presented the Medal of Honor to the
family of Corporal
Freddie Stowers, who died in his moment of valor. |
| 3
OCT 1993 |
Two Special
Forces Operational Detachment Delta members, Gary
Gordon and Randall
Shughart are killed in action during a rescue mission in
Somalia. When President Clinton presented Medals of
Honor to their widows on 23 May 1993 their heroism was
recorded as the only Medal of Honor actions to occur in the
1990s. |
| 13
JAN 1997 |
As had been
the case for Black American soldiers during World War I,
racial prejudice had prevented the award of the Medal of Honor
to any Black soldiers during World War II. After a
comprehensive review of military awards to that war's Black
heroes, President Clinton presented Medals of Honor to the
families of 6 deceased Black World War II heroes and one
living hero, Vernon
Baker. |
| 20
JAN 1998 |
President
Clinton presented a long over-looked and over-due Medal of
Honor to World War II hero James
Day. Sadly, Mr. Day survived to wear his Medal of
Honor for only six months before passing away. |
| 10
JUL 1998 |
In ceremonies
at the White House, President Clinton presents the Medal of
Honor to Vietnam War Navy Corpsman
Robert Ingram. |
| 8
FEB 2000 |
In ceremonies
at the White House, President Clinton presents the Medal of
Honor to Vietnam War Medic Alfred
Rascon. |
|
21
JUN 2000 |
In ceremonies
at the White House, President Clinton presents the Medal of
Honor to 22
World War II Veterans. Many are presented posthumously. All
the medals went to Asian-Americans who were denied earlier
recognition due to racism. |
| 8
DEC 2000 |
In ceremonies
at the White House, President Clinton presents the Medal of
Honor to William H.
Pistenbarger. |
|
16
JAN 2001 |
In ceremonies
at the White House, President Clinton posthumously presents the
Medal of Honor to
Theodore
Roosevelt. The
former president's great-grandson Tweed Roosevelt accepted the
award on his behalf. |
|
JAN
2001 |
In ceremonies
at the White House, President Clinton posthumously presents
the Medal of Honor to
Andrew
Jackson Smith. |
|
16 JUL
2001 |
In ceremonies
at the White House, President Bush presents the Medal of Honor
to
Ed W.
Freeman. |
|
1
MAY 2002 |
In ceremonies
at the White House, President Bush presents the Medal of Honor
to posthumously Jon E. Swanson. |
|
1
MAY 2002 |
In ceremonies
at the White House, President Bush presents the Medal of Honor
to posthumously Ben L. Salomon. |
|
8 JUL 2002 |
In ceremonies
at the White House, President Bush posthumously presents the
Medal of Honor to Humbert R. Versace. |
|
4
APR 2003 |
Sgt. 1st Class
Paul R. Smith distinguished himself near Baghdad International
Airport. With disregard for his own safety, Sgt. Smith manned an
exposed mounted machine gun allowing for the safe withdrawal of
numerous wounded soldiers and the death of as many 50 enemy
soldiers. Sgt. Smith was mortally wounded at this time. |
|
22 OCT 2007 |
Navy SEAL
Lt.
Michael P. Murphy, 29, from Patchogue, NY was awarded the
Medal of Honor posthumously on Monday, October 22, 2007.
President Bush presented the Medal to his parents. Murphy was
killed by enemy forces during a reconnaissance mission,
Operation Redwing, June 28, 2005. Murphy lead a four-man team
tasked with finding a key Taliban leader in the mountainous
terrain near Asadabad, Afghanistan, when they came under fire
from a much larger enemy force with superior tactical position.
Mortally wounded while exposing himself to enemy fire, Murphy
knowingly left his position of cover to get a clear signal in
order to communicate with his headquarters. While being shot at
repeatedly, Murphy calmly provided his unit’s location and
requested immediate support for his element. He returned to his
cover position to continue the fight until finally succumbing to
his wounds. |
|
ACKNOWLEDGMENT:
A
big thanks to Doug Sterner and his HomeofHeroes
website for providing most of the
content of this page.
|
The
Medal's