Congressional Medal Of Honor

[ScriptOhio]

Families accept posthumous Medals of Honor for two Navy SEALs at SOCom event

Tuesday, November 18, 2008
TAMPA ? Some of the nation's toughest commando fighters gathered at MacDill Air Force Base on Monday to remember two men who stand out even among their elite ranks.
U.S. Special Operations Command unveiled the names of Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor and Lt. Michael Murphy, on a monument to special ops troops who died in combat or training.
Both Navy SEALs, Monsoor and Murphy each received a posthumous Medal of Honor for actions in battles in Iraq and Afghanistan. They were recognized on a wall of the monument reserved for those receiving this highest of military honors.
They joined 38 other names on that wall and 626 overall who have died in American conflicts.
During an hour-long ceremony, members of SOCom's para-commando team parachuted near the memorial with American flags flown over various SOCom commands.
These flags were presented to Monsoor and Murphy's families, who placed two wreaths next to the wall of honor.
"These men excelled at everything they did," said Adm. Eric Olson, the SOCom commander. "In the end, each willingly and knowingly sacrificed their lives to save others."

Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor was killed in Ramadi, Iraq.

In September 2006, Monsoor, 25, of Garden Grove, Calif., was positioned between two American snipers on a roof inside the Iraqi city of Ramadi watching for insurgent fighters.
Without warning, a grenade was hurled into the position of the three SEALs, bouncing off Monsoor's chest.
He yelled, "Grenade!"
The machine-gunner jumped on the grenade and smothered it with his body. He did so even though he was the only one of the three in a position to escape the blast.
Monsoor died 30 minutes after the grenade exploded.

Lt. Michael P. Murphy was killed in battle in the mountains of Afghanistan.

In June 2005, Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., was part of a four-man SEAL team tracking a terrorist leader in the mountains of Afghanistan. Locals saw them and betrayed their position to the Taliban.
Soon, the four SEALs ? SEAL stands for sea, air and land ? were surrounded by up to 50 enemy fighters and a fierce battle opened. The SEALs tried to retreat down the mountain.
Murphy couldn't call for reinforcements with a satellite radio because of the rocky terrain.
So he made his way to an open and clear patch of earth in view of Taliban fighters. It was the only way to get through to reinforcements on his radio.
He was shot in the back and stomach but stayed on the radio with reinforcements.
It was a dark day for naval special warfare troops. An MH-47 Chinook helicopter with 16 men onboard, including eight SEALs, crashed as it responded to Murphy's call. All 16 from the helicopter and two with Murphy died that day.
Murphy's father, Daniel Murphy, a Vietnam veteran, touched the wall and silently remembered his son.
He said his son was known as "the Protector" by his family as he grew up for his habit of trying to help anyone in need.
"What's significant to us," said Murphy, "was that Michael was true to himself right until the end."

Families accept posthumous Medals of Honor for two Navy SEALs at SOCom event - St. Petersburg Times

More on Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor:

SECNAV Names New Zumwalt-Class Destroyer USS Michael Monsoor

Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter announced last night at a Navy SEAL Warrior Fund Benefit Gala at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, the name of the newest Zumwalt-class Destroyer will be USS Michael Monsoor. Designated as DDG- 1001, the name honors Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on Sept. 29, 2006.

Winter discussed the qualities, values, and dedication to duty that Navy SEAL?s exemplify, including the extraordinary acts of Michael Monsoor.

?Tonight I would like to single out one of those heroes from the community of Navy SEAL?s,? Winter said. ?Those who served with Michael Monsoor will remember him always as a consummate professional who faced terrorist enemies with aplomb and stoicism.?

?The full extent of Michael?s courage, gallantry, and self-less heroism were revealed on the 29th of September, in Ramadi. When his team was surprised by an enemy grenade, Michael could have escaped and saved himself,? Winter said. ?But he chose a different path, a path of honor that embodies the way of a Navy SEAL. For having chosen that path, Petty Officer Michael Monsoor joined the ranks of those who have earned our nation?s highest distinction, the Medal of Honor.?

Entire article: DefenseLink News Release: SECNAV Names New Zumwalt-Class Destroyer USS Michael Monsoor

Mike Monsoor, a Navy EODTechnician, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for jumping on a grenade in Iraq, giving his life to save his fellow Seals. During Mike Monsoor's funeral in San Diego, as his coffin was being moved from the hearse to the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, SEAL's were lined up on both sides of the pallbearers route forming a column of two's, with the coffin moving up the center. As Mike's coffin passed, each SEAL, having removed his gold Trident from his uniform, slapped it down embedding the Trident in the wooden coffin. The slaps were audible from across the cemetery; by the time the coffin arrived grave side, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from all the Tridents pinned to it.

 

[Muck]

I met MA2 Monsoor a couple of times in Ramadi.

Sucks to hear he didn't make it back home.

I'll be drinking one in his name tonight.

 

[mooktarr]

Fine examples of the type of fighting men we still have today. Men who are willing to make the supreme sacrifice for their fellow men. These men know that in combat each one must fight for the team as a whole so that some may survive.
I salute you .

 

[ScriptOhio]

Buffalo Soldier gets Arlington burial after 100 years

Cpl. Isaiah Mays was awarded the Medal of Honor after being wounded in an ambush in 1889.

ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- It was a journey that took more than a hundred years.
Missing for decades, the remains of Cpl. Isaiah Mays, a Buffalo Soldier and Medal of Honor recipient, were laid to rest Friday at Arlington National Cemetery.
Paying respects were African-American veterans, U.S. Army soldiers and those who rode for days as part of a motorcycle escort -- members of the Missing in America Project, who traveled from as far away as California and Arizona at their own expense to make sure Mays got a proper burial.
None was a relative but they consider themselves his brothers.
They stood shoulder to shoulder in an older section of the cemetery, surrounded by the graves of veterans from wars long ago. Some came in Army dress blue uniforms. Others wore uniforms like those worn by the Buffalo Soldiers, who served in the legendary all-black Army units formed after the Civil War.
The crowd stood witness as a color guard folded the American flag and saluted when three rifle volleys pierced the air. A bugler, surrounded by the graves of other fallen heroes, played taps.
William McCurtis, the regimental sergeant major of a Buffalo Soldier group, perhaps voiced the sentiment of everyone who came: "One more out of 6,000 has his day of recognition. We need to get the rest recognized."
Mays was born a slave in Virginia in 1858 but spent most of his life west of the Mississippi, joining the famed Buffalo Soldiers as the black cavalry and infantry troops fought in the frontier Indian Wars.
In 1889, he was part of a small detachment assigned to protect a U.S. Army pay wagon, which was caught in an ambush by a band of bandits. A gunfight ensued and almost all the soldiers were wounded or killed. Mays was shot in both legs. The bandits made off with $29,000 in gold coins.
Despite his wounds, Mays managed to walk and crawl two miles to a ranch to seek help. He was awarded a Medal of Honor on February 15, 1890. More than 20 Buffalo Soldiers have received the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award for valor. No other unit has won more.

Entire article: Buffalo Soldier gets Arlington burial after 100 years - CNN.com

 

[Best Buckeye]

A good outcome.
Hand Salute!

 

[ScriptOhio]

Medal of Honor recipient remembered as a selfless friend

Sgt. Jared Monti always put others first, as a boy and as a soldier, his dad says.

RAYNHAM, Massachusetts (CNN) -- It's a crisp New England day and Paul Monti is sitting in the backyard garden he built to honor the memory of his son, sipping coffee from his favorite Boston Red Sox mug, and nursing what he calls a "morning cigar."
These are daily rituals that help him deal with his son's death three years ago, while serving the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.
"I come out here and sit on the bench and sit in the flowers," says Monti, a retired schoolteacher. "This is where I get my solitude."
And that's when the stories start pouring out of this proud dad, stories about how Sgt. Jared Monti -- who will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama on Thursday -- always had the instinct to help other people.
There was the time that Jared was in high school and came home, to this house with the American flags flying on the porch, and asked his dad if he could cut down one of the spruce trees in the front yard. A single mom down the street in this tiny town outside Boston couldn't afford a Christmas tree, and Jared wanted to take care of her family for the holidays.
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Entire article: Medal of Honor recipient remembered as a selfless friend - CNN.com

 

[ScriptOhio]

Paratrooper to get Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan

Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta is being awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in battle in Afghanistan in October 2007.

(CNN) -- An Army paratrooper who risked his life to save fellow soldiers will become the first living service member to receive the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq or Afghanistan, the White House said Friday.
Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, 25, will receive the honor for "acts of gallantry at the risk of his life" during combat in Afghanistan in October 2007, the White House said in a written statement.
President Barack Obama called Giunta, a native of Hiawatha, Iowa, on Thursday to inform him of the honor and to thank him for "extraordinary bravery in battle," the statement said. Giunta will receive the medal at a later date.
On Thursday, the White House announced that Obama will award the Medal of Honor posthumously to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller for "conspicuous gallantry" and "heroic actions" in Afghanistan in January 2008. Miller sacrificed his life "to save the lives of his teammates and 15 Afghanistan National Army soldiers," the White House said.
The White House announced last week that Obama also intends to award the Medal of Honor to Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger for his valor in saving the lives of three wounded comrades at a then-secret base in Laos in 1968. Enemy fighters shot and killed Etchberger after he saved his fellow airmen.
Giunta was an Army specialist and rifle team leader with Company B, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment when an insurgent ambush split his squad into two groups on October 25, 2007, the White House statement said.
He "exposed himself to enemy fire to pull a comrade back to cover," it said.
"Later, while engaging the enemy and attempting to link up with the rest of his squad, Specialist Giunta noticed two insurgents carrying away a fellow soldier," the statement said. "He immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other, and provided medical aid to his wounded comrade while the rest of his squad caught up and provided security."
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Entire Article: Paratrooper to get Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan - CNN.com

 

[Muck]

For the record SSG Giunta is the first living recipient of the award since Vietnam.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Bad Ass Mother Fucker Right There.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Remember the guy that wouldn't take the flag down???

Van T. Barfoot, Va. Medal of Honor recipient who won fight to fly flag in front yard, dies at 92

Retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, who received the Medal of Honor during World War II and decades later drew national attention when he fought successfully against his homeowners association to keep a flagpole flying the Stars and Stripes in his front yard, died March 2 at a hospital in Richmond. He was 92.

He had complications from a fall, said his daughter Margaret Nicholls.

Col. Barfoot grew up on a Mississippi cotton plantation before enlisting in the Army infantry in 1940. By the end of his career in 1974, he had served in three wars and received the military’s highest award for valor — the Medal of Honor — for leading an assault on German troops during World War II.
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Col. Barfoot erected a 21-foot flagpole in his front yard not long after taking up residence in the Sussex Square development in Henrico County.

Even as a nonagenarian, Col. Barfoot awoke every morning to hoist the American flag. At dusk, he lowered and folded the flag, hugging the triangular bundle to his chest as he walked back inside.

The community, governed by a homeowners association, had denied Col. Barfoot’s initial request to put the flagpole in his yard, citing rules to maintain curb appeal.

The homeowners association sent him a letter ordering him to remove the flagpole and threatened to take Col. Barfoot to court to enforce the neighborhood’s rules.

Col. Barfoot refused, and the resulting news brought support from Democrats and Republicans in the state and beyond.
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Pressured by critics, the homeowners association relented in December 2009 and allowed Col. Barfoot to keep his flagpole.

Van Thurman Barfoot was born June 15, 1919, in Edinburg, Miss. He later changed his name to Van Thomas Barfoot.

In the Army, Col. Barfoot worked his way up the enlisted ranks before receiving a field commission during World War II.

Early in the war, he participated in the Army’s invasion of Italy. As his unit moved inland, the soldiers took up defensive positions near Carano.

On May 23, 1944, Col. Barfoot was ordered to lead an assault on German positions. He went out alone and crawled to within feet of a German bunker.

According to his Medal of Honor citation, he tossed a grenade inside, killing two Germans and wounding three others. He then moved to another bunker nearby and killed two more German soldiers with his submachine gun while taking three others prisoner. A third machine gun crew, watching Col. Barfoot’s methodical assault, surrendered to him. In all, 17 Germans gave themselves up to Col. Barfoot.

In retaliation, the Germans organized a counterattack on Col. Barfoot’s position, sending three tanks toward him.

Col. Barfoot grabbed a bazooka grenade launcher and stood 75 yards in front of the leading tank. His first shot stopped it in its tracks. He then killed three of the German tank crew members who had attempted to escape.

The other two tanks, witnessing the destruction, abruptly changed directions, moving away from Col. Barfoot. Returning to his platoon, he helped carry two wounded U.S. soldiers almost a mile to safety.

Commending his “Herculean efforts,” Col. Barfoot’s citation praised his “magnificent valor and aggressive determination in the face of pointblank fire.”

Col. Barfoot served in the Korean War and later in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. His other military decorations included the Silver Star; two awards of the Legion of Merit; the Bronze Star; three awards of the Purple Heart; and 11 awards of the Air Medal.

Entire article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...d-dies-at-92/2012/03/05/gIQARDTdtR_story.html

 

[Muck]

During the Vietnam War the Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded 246 times. 154 of those awards were posthumous. 92 of the recipients were living after the actions for which they were awarded.

During the combined conflicts in Iraq & Afghanistan the CMH has been awarded 8 times. 7 of those were posthumous. Only 1 of the recipients survived the action for which he was awarded.

Since 2001 an additional 5 Medals have been awarded to those who served in wars other than Iraq & Afghanistan (Vietnam, Korea, Civil War).

So during the current conflict the powers that be have seen fit to award almost as many Medals of Honor for past conflicts as they have to those serving in the wars that occurring now.

As always politics is shameful.

 

[Apache]

The best and the brightest. Nothing more can be said.

Semper Fi!

 

[ScriptOhio]

Green Beret who died saving comrades awarded Medal of Honor

Staff Sgt. Robert Miller was killed in 2008 while taking fire from Taliban insurgents to protect his team, the Army says.

Oviedo, Florida (CNN) -- President Barack Obama on Wednesday awarded the Medal of Honor -- the nation's highest military decoration -- to Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, a Green Beret who died after willingly taking fire to protect U.S. and Afghan soldiers.
The citation read at a solemn White House ceremony in Washington, D.C., honored Miller for "conspicuous gallantry ... at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty" and "extraordinary acts of heroism" on January 25, 2008, when a patrol he led was ambushed in Afghanistan.
Miller killed at least 10 insurgents and wounded dozens more in repeatedly exposing himself to enemy fire "in keeping with the highest traditions of military service," the citation said.
Miller is the seventh service member to receive the Medal of Honor for actions during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obama gave a detailed account of the combat in which Miller was killed, describing how the small group of U.S. and Afghan soldiers came under fire in a narrow valley from protected enemy positions above.
Realizing the peril of the situation, Miller ordered his team to fall back, but then "did something extraordinary," Obama said.
"Rob moved the other way, toward the insurgents," to draw their fire so his team could back off safely, the president said.
The others could hear Miller firing and calling out enemy positions amid overwhelming enemy fire, Obama said.
"Then over the radio, they heard his voice," Obama continued. "He had been hit. But still he kept calling out enemy positions, still he kept firing, still he kept hurling grenades. Then they heard it. Rob's weapon fell silent."
Five members of his team were wounded, Obama said, but all survived. He quoted one of the survivors as saying, "I would not be alive today if not for his ultimate sacrifice."
Some of the dozen team members at the ceremony were red-eyed when Obama asked them to stand, and the president cited them and all U.S. fighting forces in Afghanistan for their commitment to the mission of preventing the country from again becoming a haven for terrorists to launch attacks on the United States.
"Every American is safer because of their service, and every American has a duty to remember and honor their sacrifice," Obama said.

Entire article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/10/06/obama.medal.of.honor/index.html?iref=NS1

 

[ScriptOhio]

Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta is being awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in battle in Afghanistan in October 2007.

(CNN) -- An Army paratrooper who risked his life to save fellow soldiers will become the first living service member to receive the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq or Afghanistan, the White House said Friday.
Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, 25, will receive the honor for "acts of gallantry at the risk of his life" during combat in Afghanistan in October 2007, the White House said in a written statement.
President Barack Obama called Giunta, a native of Hiawatha, Iowa, on Thursday to inform him of the honor and to thank him for "extraordinary bravery in battle," the statement said. Giunta will receive the medal at a later date.
On Thursday, the White House announced that Obama will award the Medal of Honor posthumously to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller for "conspicuous gallantry" and "heroic actions" in Afghanistan in January 2008. Miller sacrificed his life "to save the lives of his teammates and 15 Afghanistan National Army soldiers," the White House said.
The White House announced last week that Obama also intends to award the Medal of Honor to Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger for his valor in saving the lives of three wounded comrades at a then-secret base in Laos in 1968. Enemy fighters shot and killed Etchberger after he saved his fellow airmen.
Giunta was an Army specialist and rifle team leader with Company B, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment when an insurgent ambush split his squad into two groups on October 25, 2007, the White House statement said.
He "exposed himself to enemy fire to pull a comrade back to cover," it said.
"Later, while engaging the enemy and attempting to link up with the rest of his squad, Specialist Giunta noticed two insurgents carrying away a fellow soldier," the statement said. "He immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other, and provided medical aid to his wounded comrade while the rest of his squad caught up and provided security."
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Entire Article: Paratrooper to get Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan - CNN.com

Living Medal of Honor winners gained fame


Editor's note: President Obama will present Sal Giunta with the Medal of Honor award on Tuesday. Watch live on CNN TV and online. More on the Medal of Honor


Washington (CNN) -- When President Obama awards the Medal of Honor to Staff Sgt. Sal Giunta on Tuesday, a lot will be made about the fact that he is the first living Medal of Honor recipient since Vietnam. To be exact, Giunta is the first living recipient since President Ford presented Medals of Honor to three heroes of Vietnam on March 4, 1976.
The men who received the iconic gold medal on a pale blue ribbon that day -- James Stockdale, George Day and Thomas Norris -- continued to make history after receiving their medals.

Entire article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/11/12/medal.honor.fame/?hpt=Sbin

 

[Gatorubet]

I love this?.and this man certainly doesn?t look 90 years old!
Great soldier?s story?
Head east from Carthage on Mississippi 16 toward Philadelphia. After a few miles a sign says you?re in Edinburg. It?s a good thing the sign?s there, because there?s no other way to tell.
On June 15, 1919, Van T. Barfoot was born in Edinburg ? probably didn?t make much news back then. Twenty-five years later, on May 23, 1944, near Carano, Italy, Van T. Barfoot, who had enlisted in the Army in 1940, set out to flank German machine gun positions from which fire was coming down on his fellow soldiers. He advanced through a minefield, took out three enemy machine gun positions and returned with 17 prisoners of war. If that wasn?t enough for a day?s work, he later took on and destroyed three German tanks sent to retake the machine gun positions.
That probably didn?t make much news either, given the scope of the war, but it did earn Van T. Barfoot, who retired as a colonel after also serving in Korea and Vietnam, a Congressional Medal of Honor.
What did make news last week was a neighborhood association?s quibble with how the 90-year-old veteran chose to fly the American flag outside his suburban Virginia home. Seems the rules said a flag could be flown on a house-mounted bracket, but, for decorum, items such as Barfoot?s 21-foot flagpole were unsuitable.
He had been denied a permit for the pole, erected it anyway and was facing court action if he didn?t take it down. Since the story made national TV, the
neighborhood association has rethought its position and agreed to indulge this old hero who dwells among them.
?In the time I have left I plan to continue to fly the American flag without interference,? Barfoot told The Associated Press. As well he should.
And if any of his neighbors still takes a notion to contest him, they might want to read his Medal of Honor citation. It indicates he?s not real good at backing down.
Van T. Barfoot?s Medal of Honor citation:
This 1944 Medal of Honor citation, listed with the National Medal of Honor Society, is for Second Lieutenant Van T. Barfoot, 157th Infantry, 45th Infantry:
?For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 23 May 1944, near Carano, Italy. With his platoon heavily engaged during an assault against forces well entrenched on commanding ground, 2d Lt. Barfoot moved off alone upon the enemy left flank. He crawled to the proximity of 1 machinegun nest and made a direct hit on it with a hand grenade, killing 2 and wounding 3 Germans. He continued along the German defense line to another machinegun emplacement, and with his tommygun killed 2 and captured 3 soldiers. Members of another enemy machinegun crew then abandoned their position and gave themselves up to Sgt. Barfoot. Leaving the prisoners for his support squad to pick up, he proceeded to mop up positions in the immediate area, capturing more prisoners and bringing his total count to 17. Later that day, after he had reorganized his men and consolidated the newly captured ground, the enemy launched a fierce armored counterattack directly at his platoon positions. Securing a bazooka, Sgt. Barfoot took up an exposed position directly in front of 3 advancing Mark VI tanks. From a distance of 75 yards his first shot destroyed the track of the leading tank, effectively disabling it, while the other 2 changed direction toward the flank. As the crew of the disabled tank dismounted, Sgt. Barfoot killed 3 of them with his tommygun. He continued onward into enemy terrain and destroyed a recently abandoned German fieldpiece with a demolition charge placed in the breech. While returning to his platoon position, Sgt. Barfoot, though greatly fatigued by his Herculean efforts, assisted 2 of his seriously wounded men 1,700 yards to a position of safety.
Sgt. Barfoot?s extraordinary heroism, demonstration of magnificent valor, and aggressive determination in the face of point blank fire are a perpetual inspiration to his fellow soldiers.?

WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE!
IN GOD WE TRUST!

http://www.4marks.com/articles/details.html?article_id=5230

Brave, courageous and lucky SOB. The operational distance of a bazooka attacking a Mark VI (heavily armored "Tiger") tank was about 30 yards or less if you hoped to hit the guys and ammo inside the tank. Our bazooka (the Krauts captured lend-lease bazookas in Russia early in the war and copied them - making a larger and better weapon by the end of the war) was not very good at piercing the thick plate armor on the German tanks used in 1944 - especially the Tiger. They could stop our own Sherman and the early German tanks, but not much use against the late model German tanks. They (Mark VI Tigers) were heavy sum bitches. His hitting the tank tread was about the only option to stop it from moving forward - or maybe a lucky shot at 75 yards meant for the tank body that just went low and hit the tread...

Who gives a [censored] what he meant to do the day he did it! Taking on a Tiger with a bazooka was normally a death sentence. He is one brave S.O.B. Sgt. Barfoot is a lean, mean 150 pound killing machine.

My dad commanded a Sherman in late '44 early '45 in Belgium and the Rhine Campaign, and he was scared [censored]less of Tiger Tanks and their 88 cannon. He was shooting a 76 mm cannon that would bounce off the turret of any Tiger he was unfortunate enough to encounter. He preferred to advance to the rear when the tank on tank contest arose, as 3rd Army Group kept him short of armor piercing rounds even if he could get a shot.

Which is all to say, if my dad and his 76mm cannon Sherman tank could not take out a Tiger, then a Sgt. from Mississippi with a friggin' Bazooka was on a death mission if he attmepted it.