Medal Of Honor & Branch Service:

Medal of Honor and Branch Tribute
May & June 2012

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the president, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States. Due to the nature of its criteria, it is often awarded posthumously.

Members of all branches of the armed forces are eligible to receive the medal, and there are three versions (one for the Army, one for the Air Force, and one for the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard). The Medal of Honor is then presented to the recipient or, for posthumous awards, to the next of kin. The President of the United States presents the medal in person, on behalf of the Congress, representing and recognizing the gratitude of the American people as a whole. Due to its honored status, the medal is afforded special protection under U.S. law.

The Medal of Honor is one of two military neck order awards issued by the United States and is the sole neck order awarded to members of the armed forces (the Commander’s Degree of the Legion of Merit is a neck order but it is only authorized for issue to foreign dignitaries).

As the award citation includes the phrase “in the name of Congress”, it is sometimes erroneously called the Congressional Medal of Honor; however, the official title is simply the Medal of Honor.

There have been a total of 3,459 recipients of the Medal of Honor, 19 double recipients and there are currently 81 living recipients.

The 1st recipient was Private Jacob Parrott on March 25, 1863. The most recent living recipient is Sgt. Dakota Meyer on September 15, 2011. The most recent posthumous recipient is Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. on May 16, 2012.

The 81 living recipients are:

John Baca – California – Vietnam

Donald Ballard – Missouri – Vietnam

Harvey Barnum, Jr. – Virginia – Vietnam

Gary Beikirch – New York – Vietnam

Patrick Brady – Washington – Vietnam

Paul Bucha – Connecticut – Vietnam

Hector Cafferata, Jr. – Florida – Korea

Jon Cavaiani – California – Vietnam

Charles Coolidge – Tennessee – WWII

Bruce Crandall – Washington – Vietnam

Francis Currey – New York – WWII

Sammy Davis – Illinois – Vietnam

George “Bud” Day – Florida – Vietnam

Duane Dewey – Michigan – Korea

Drew Dix – New Mexico – Vietnam

Roger Donlon – Kansas – Vietnam

Walter Ehlers – California – WWII

Frederick Ferguson – Arizona – Vietnam

Bernard Fisher – Idaho – Vietnam

Michael Fitzmaurice – South Dakota – Vietnam

James Fleming – Washington – Vietnam

Robert Foley – ?? – Vietnam

Wesley Fox – Virginia – Vietnam

Harold Fritz – Illinois – Vietnam

Salvatore Giunta – Colorado – Afghanistan

Charles Hagemeister – Kansas – Vietnam

John Hawk – Washington – WWII

Frank Herda – Ohio – Vietnam

Rodolfo Hernandez – North Carolina – Korea

Thomas Hudner, Jr. – Massachusetts – Korea

Einar Ingman, Jr. – Wisconsin – Korea

Robert Ingram – Florida – Vietnam

Daniel Inouye – Hawaii – WWII

Arthur Jackson – Idaho – WWII

Joe Jackson – Washington – Vietnam

Jack Jacobs – New Jersey – Vietnam

Don Jenkins – Kentucky – Vietnam

Thomas Kelly – Massachusetts – Vietnam

Allan Kellogg – Hawaii – Vietnam

Bob Kerrey – New York – Vietnam

Thomas Kinsman – Washington – Vietnam

Howard Lee – Oregon – Vietnam

Peter Lemon – Colorado – Vietnam

Charles Liteky – California – Vietnam

Gary Littrell – Florida – Vietnam

James Livingston – South Carolina – Vietnam

Allen Lynch – Illinois – Vietnam

Walter Marm – North Carolina – Vietnam

Robert Maxwell – Oregon – WWII

Vernon McGrity – Tennessee – WWII

John McGinty – California – Vietnam

Dakota Meyer – Kentucky – Afghanistan

Hiroshi Miyamura – New Mexico – Korea

Ola Mize – Alabama – Korea

Robert Modrzejewski – California – Vietnam

Thomas Norris – Idaho – Vietnam

Robert O’Malley – New York – Vietnam

Nicholas Oresko – New Jersey – WWII

Robert Patterson – Florida – Vietnam

Leroy Petry – Washington – Afghanistan

Richard Pittman – California – Vietnam

Alfred Rascon – Maryland – Vietnam

Ronald Ray – Florida – Vietnam

Gordon Roberts – ?? – Vietnam

Wilburn Ross – Washington – WWII

Ronald Rosser – Ohio – Korea

Tibor Rubin – California – Korea

George Sakato – Colorado – WWII

Clarence Sasser – Texas – Vietnam

Robert Simanek – Michigan – Korea

James Sprayberry – Alabama – Vietnam

James Stone – Texas – Korea

Kenneth Stumpf – Wisconsin – Vietnam

James Taylor – California – Vietnam

Brian Thacker – Maryland – Vietnam

Michael Thornton – Texas – Vietnam

Leo Thorness – Alabama – Vietnam

Jay Vargas – California – Vietnam

Ernest West – Kentucky – Korea

Gary Wetzel – Wisconsin – Vietnam

Hershel Williams – West Virginia – WWII

U.S. Military Branches:

Army

As the oldest branch of the U.S, Military, the Army protects the security of the United States and its resources.

Army Reserve

The Army Reserve trains part-time near home until needed, and members deploy alongside the Army.

Army National Guard

Army National Guard members deploy with the Army on a part-time basis, with a special focus on homeland security and relief programs. The National Guard is a State militia and controlled by Governors.

Army Special Warfare Units:

Rangers, Green Berets, Snipers

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Navy

The Navy defends the right to travel and trade freely on the world’s oceans and protects national interests overseas.

Navy Reserve

The Navy Reserve trains service members close to home until they are needed in action.

Navy Special Warfare Units:

SEAL Teams (Sea, Air, Land)

UDT Teams (Underwater Demolition Teams)

Seabees (Civil Engineering Teams)

Snipers

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Air Force

The U.S. Air Force protects American interests at home and abroad with a focus on air power.

Air Force Reserve

The Air Reserve gives service members the opportunity to train and serve on a part-time basis as needed.

Air National Guard

The Air National Guard trains part-time to assist in domestic disasters and international conflicts.

Air Force Special Warfare Units

AF Special Operations Command

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Marine Corps

The Marine Corps is often first on the ground in combat situations.

Marine Corps Reserve

Marine Corps reservists train domestically until needed then deploy with the rest of the Corps.

Marines Special Warfare Units:

Snipers, Recon Teams, Presidential Guardians, Nuclear Asset Protection

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Coast Guard

The Coast Guard protects America’s waterways and deploys with the Navy during wartime.

Coast Guard Reserve

The Coast Guard Reserve offers a part-time service opportunity for service members to train near home.

*Note: ALL information was obtained via Wikipedia on the internet.