“The enemy was above us, behind us, all around us. We were cut off, surrounded, outnumbered, outgunned, low on ammo and everybody friendly who was in sight was either wounded or dead.”
Staff Sgt. Ty Carter receiving the Medal of Honor
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ty Carter, recounting the day in 2009 that led to his receiving the Medal of Honor at the White House last week. For the first time since Vietnam, two living service members have received the Medal of Honor for the same battle. Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha received his in February. Sgt. Carter is only the fifth living recipient of the Medal of Honor since Vietnam. On August 26, President Obama presented the nation’s highest military award to Staff Sgt. Ty Carter.
Read about Sgt. Carter, his actions in Afghanistan in 2009, at: army.mil/medalofhonor/carter
Watch an interview with Sgt. Carter below:
Background
THE MEDAL OF HONOR:
- 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 on 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 (more than half have been since 1941).
- 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 bestowed upon an individual by the passing of a Joint Resolution in the Congress; and is then personally presented to the recipient or, in the case of posthumous awards, to next of kin, by the President of the United States, 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.
- 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. (from wikipedia)
Resources
Read about the Medal of Honor at history.army.mil/moh.html.
