Update:
Where there is a will there is a way.
Read here how a World War II hero, said to be the second-most decorated soldier from World War II, after Maj. Audie Murphy, is about to finally receive the Medal of Honor for his bravery in France after 20 years of fighting by family and friends.
There is still hope for Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta.
Original post:
March 25 was National Medal of Honor Day, a day dedicated to the bravest of our bravest, our Medal of Honor recipients.
For 155 years our nation has recognized and honored those in our military for acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty with this highest of highest award.
Since its creation, in March 1863, 3,648 Medals of Honor have been awarded to the country’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and coast guardsmen, with approximately 1,500 being awarded to Civil War service members.
Over 400 Medal of Honor recipients are interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Among them, the Unknown Soldiers at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, resting on a hilltop at the Cemetery, all of them recipients of the Medal of Honor.
There are 71 living recipients of the Medal of Honor.
Last Friday, more than two dozen of these recipients gathered on that hallowed ground to lay a wreath at the Tomb and render honors to their brethren who fought and died for their country in too many wars, but who have never been identified — all belonging to a very special “Club.”
However, as Medal of Honor recipient Retired Army Maj. Drew Dix believes, one does not have to be a member of that “Club,” one doesn’t have to “serve in combat or experience a life-threatening situation to make a difference in someone’s life.”
Citing the examples of two recipients of the 2018 Citizen Honors Awards, Dix says, “Courage, service and sacrifice come in many forms, and they all matter. Doing the right thing always makes a difference.”
There are many “special clubs” we can aspire to belong to.
Lead photo: Medal of Honor recipients Mike Fitzmaurice and Will Swenson, center, participate in a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating valor and sacrifice on National Medal of Honor Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.(Francis Chung/Defense Department)
