Medal of Honor Recipients are a part of something greater. They collectively embody the values that we as a country strive to uphold—courage, bravery, and the desire and dedication to do what is right in the midst of life’s most difficult circumstances. But they are also unique. They are parents and siblings, colleagues and friends. They are ordinary people who did extraordinary things, each with their own story to tell.
Honor their sacrifice today so we may shape a better future tomorrow.
War on Terrorism (Iraq)
Alwyn C. Cashe
Cashe was presented the Medal of Honor on December 16, 2021, by President Joseph Biden, Jr., alongside Christopher Celiz and Earl Plumlee, making him one of the most recent Recipients of the Medal of Honor. He was recognized for his actions in Iraq on October 17, 2005.
Celiz was presented the Medal of Honor on December 16, 2021, by President Joseph Biden, Jr., alongside Alwyn Cashe and Earl Plumlee, making him one of the most recent Recipients of the Medal of Honor. He was recognized for his actions in Afghanistan on July 12, 2018.
Plumlee was presented the Medal of Honor on December 16, 2021, by President Joseph Biden, Jr., alongside Alwyn Cashe and Christopher Celiz, making him one of the most recent Recipients of the Medal of Honor. He was recognized for his actions in Afghanistan on August 28, 2013.
On March 5, 2021, the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that Army Chaplain (Capt.) Emil J. Kapaun had been accounted for. A veteran of WWII, he continued his service in the Chaplain Corps during the Korean War. He died in a POW Camp in 1951. In September 2021 his remains will be interred at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita, Kansas.
Staff Sergeant Miller became a one-man Army against an overwhelming enemy force. He was killed in action preserving the lives of 22 squad members. His Medal of Honor was presented to his parents in 2010.
Despite wounds, PFC Dias moved through unprotected areas four times, while under extreme fire, to destroy an enemy machine gun bunker that had pinned down two Marine platoons. He destroyed the bunker just as he was killed by a sniper. His actions contributed greatly to the survival of numerous men that day.
Second Lieutenant Frank Luke, Jr. was so legendary for his aerial take-downs of German observation balloons that he was given the nickname "Balloon Buster" in newspaper reports. He was killed in action in 1918 after a forced landing in a field in France.
Gary B. Beikirch passed away December 26, 2021 at the age of 74. He was presented the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon on October 15, 1973. He served as Chaplain of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
