The Medal of Honor Society

I have medal of honor allied assault andspearhead i have big game hunter 5 this is a cool game i love medal of honor it is cool. i like to play it i love the military and the army and navy it gives me a good clean feeling fighting for our country is the best thing that we can do lets hope no more attacks on america this year. Its like General Dwight D Eisenhower said You Are About To Embark Upon This Great And Noble Crusade.let me tell you something about the medal of honor society. For conspicous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in action involving actual conflict with an opposing armed force,'' the Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest award bestowed by the United States on members of its Armed Forces. Awarded by the President of the United States the name of the Congress,the Medal of Honor acknowledges the greatest achievements and sacrifices of individual soldiers in the uniforms of our country. Inaugurated in 1862 in the middle of the Civil War,the founding legislation sought to create 2,000 Medals of Honor to be presented ''to such non-commissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier-like qualities,during the present insurrection.'' Since the awarding of the first Medal of Honor to Army Private Jacob Parrot in 1863 for crosssing Confederate lines to destroy a railroad,after millions of men and women have served their country through the six subsequent major wars,only 3,433 individuals have risen to the challenge to embrace the qualities that warrant this great distinction. In 1946,the Medal of Honor Society was formed to uphold the qualities of the Medal of Honor and to provide assistance to indigent recipients. Whether they became millionaires or laborers in peacetime,the CMOHS seeks to promote a brotherhood between recipients, for there are no''winners'' of the Medal of Honor and no victories on the battlefield without brothers to protect. In so protecting, a number of recipients have given the ultimate gift to their brothers and their country. In their memory and those who have subsequently passed on, the CMOHS retains the record of their valiant actions. For living symbols of what it means to be an American. In times of duress, Americans need to look no further than the Congressional Medal of Honor Society for the values of valor, respect and honor across the spectrum of American backgrounds-the values that make this country great. Electronic Arts is privileged to participate in the Society's contuinuing education and awareness efforts on behalf of the Congressional Medal of Honor and its recipients. You can learn more about the Society and the recipients at the Society website: www.cmohs.org. Thanks to the Medal of Honor Society Iwould like to show my gratitude to them by saying Thanks for fightin for our Freedom. And God Bless America.  Thank You for taken the time to read and look at my site

HOME | SITE DIRECTORY » About the Navy SEALs ·· History ·· Missions ·· Assignments ·· Images/Video » Become a Navy SEAL ·· Civilian Recruits ·· Enlisted ·· Officer ·· Reservist ·· NAVET/OSVET/OSAD ·· SEAL Source Rates ·· Road to SEAL Teams » Requirements ·· U.S. Citizenship ·· Vision ·· Age ·· ASVAB ·· Gender ·· Waivers » PST - Screening Test » BUD/S - Training » Upcoming Events » FAQ - "I Was Told..." » Other NSW Web Sites » Resources » Contact a Recruiter SMSN J. Ruppenthal BUD/S Candidate "There were times when I didn’t even want to move anymore, but the other guys had the spark," SEAL James T. Ruppenthal says of Basic Underwater Demolition School (BUD/S). "We held each other together. If somebody was losing his wind in the boat, someone else would take care of him and the other four would bring up the stroke..." "I’m getting it into my head that the limitations I used to carry were needless. Anybody can make it through here if they want to do it."

From 1962 when the first SEAL teams were commissioned, to present day, Navy SEALs have distinguished themselves as an individually reliable, collectively disciplined and highly skilled maritime force. Because of the dangers inherent in NSW, prospective SEALs go through what is considered by many military experts to be the toughest training in the world.  Learn About:  → Becoming a SEAL  → Requirements  → BUD/S  → Benefits  → Weapons » POW Pfc Jessica Lynch Rescued by Navy SEALs - Special Operations Forces (Navy, Army, Air Force), U.S. Special Operations spearheaded the operation to free injured Army PFC held in Saddam Hospital in Nasiriyah as conventional Marines create diversion nearby. Lynch, 19, had been missing since March 23, when ...  GO  » War Begins; Coalition Aircraft Attack Iraqi Targets, 3/20/02 - "On my orders, coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war," the president said from the Oval Office at 10:15 p.m. EST. 3/19/03. Bush stressed this will be a broad and concerted campaign ...  GO  » TAR Officer Receives Bronze Star Medal For Actions In Afghanistan, As a SEAL (Sea, Air, Land) checked into his new command, days before Sept. 11, little did he realize how the world would change and that he would soon be hunting terrorists in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan. Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Mike Cura volunteered ...  GO  » Navy SEAL Joins 299 Others to Break World Record, Twenty-one thousand feet above the Arizona desert, a plane carries a U.S. Navy Sea, Air, Land (SEAL) commando, one who never cared much for riding in planes and is eager to get out of this one. Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate (SEAL) Lu Lastra is not on a typical flight. ...  GO  » First-Ever Navy SEAL Reservist Selected for Admiral, For the first time ever in the history of Naval Special Warfare, a Navy SEAL (SEa, Air, Land) reservist has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral. Naval Reserve SEAL Capt. William Payne has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral ...  GO  » Wasp Sailors Train for Navy SEALs Camp, What do you consider the perfect job? Imagine that this ideal occupation requires you to make everything else secondary, and just to be a candidate, you’d have to endure six months of verbal abuse and physical training. For some people, such a setting might make their so-called fantasy job ...  GO  » Navy SEALs drop in on Scouts ceremony, If the Navy's purpose for its Leap Frog parachuting team is to spark interest in naval careers, it accomplished its mission yesterday. Moments after Lu Lastra, the team's NCO in charge, touched down – his 8,000th landing – Oak Hill Drive Elementary School youngsters latched onto him ...  GO  » Navy SEAL Tells All in Navy.com Webcast, So you wanna be a SEAL? Do you have the drive and motivation to endure the toughest military training there is? Do you just "talk the talk" or can you "walk the walk"? Ready to find out more? Log on to www.Navy.com to download the interview and meet Navy SEAL ...  GO  » Norfolk SEAL Represents Navy at State of the Union Address , Naval Special Warfare was highlighted at the President’s State of the Union address Jan. 28, as a Navy SEAL (Sea, Air, Land) represented his fellow Sailors at the annual event. Machinery Repairman 1st Class (SEAL) Steve Gonzalez ...  GO  » Special Boat Team Receives Commendation; SEAL Gets Bronze Star, The Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman (SWCC) and SEAL commandos of SBT-12 received the award for unparalleled success in support of Naval Special Warfare and unified command missions during Operation Enduring Freedom. SEAL, Cmdr. ...  GO  The following hyperlink will open a seperate browser window to download Abobe Acrobat Reader ©. The appearance of this hyperlink does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Navy of the web site or the information, products, or services contained therein. The U.S. Navy does not exercise any editorial control over the following web site. This link is provided consistent with the stated purpose of this DoD web site. This is an official United States Navy informational web site developed by COMNAVSPECWARCOM. The purpose of this web site is to prepare SEAL candidates for entry into Naval Special Warfare by providing them with timely and accurate information. FOIA - Accessibility Details - Privacy/Security - Navy.MIL - Navy.COM - FirstGov.GOV - Contact Us

What type of specialized equipment and weapons do SEALs use?

Navy SEALs operate in a variety of demanding and challenging circumstances. From the water, air or land, SEALs adapt to nearly any environment using teamwork, training and high-tech equipment to accomplish their missions. From high-altitude parachutes to stealthy watercraft and desert or arctic camouflage, SEAL operations require a diverse range of equipment, both for individual SEALs and to transport teams to and from missions.

Each SEAL team is assigned to an Area of Operations (AO) and is specially trained to handle that type of terrain - desert, arctic, woodland or jungle. For example, desert operations require overcoming extreme heat; arctic operations necessitate winter warfare training; and woodland and jungle operations rely on camouflage to blend into the surroundings. Special tactics, techniques and equipment apply to each AO - from SEAL Delivery Vehicles and high-speed gunner boats to advanced SCUBA gear and other sophisticated equipment.

Download the SEAL Weapons Catalog

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Small Arms	Rifles & Grenades	Misc. Equipment	Radio Gear	Ammo Casings

SEAL Missions

Special Operations is characterized by the use of small units with unique ability to conduct military actions that are beyond the capability of conventional military forces. SEALs are superbly trained in all environments, and are the master’s of maritime Special Operations. SEALs are required to utilize a combination of specialized training, equipment, and tactics in completion of Special Operation missions worldwide.

A tactical force with strategic impact, NSW mission areas include unconventional warfare, direct action, combating terrorism, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, information warfare, security assistance, counter-drug operations, personnel recovery and hydrographic reconnaissance. Although NSW personnel comprise less than one percent of U.S. Navy personnel, they offer big dividends on a small investment. SEALs' proven ability to operate across the spectrum of conflict and in operations other than war in a controlled manner, and their ability to provide real time intelligence and eyes on target, offer decision makers immediate and virtually unlimited options in the face of rapidly changing crises around the world.

The most important trait that distinguishes Navy SEALs from all other military forces is that SEALs are maritime special forces, as they strike from and return to the sea. SEALs (Sea, Air, Land) take their name from the elements in and from which they operate. Their stealth and clandestine methods of operation allow them to conduct multiple missions against targets that larger forces cannot approach undetected.

Become a Navy SEAL

Are you motivated to succeed? Are you determined to persevere? Are you ready to accelerate your life? Consider a career in Naval Special Warfare (NSW). We seek smart, fit, hardworking young men from all backgrounds to join our team of SEAL operators. It is a career that offers unmatched challenges, adventure and job satisfaction to motivated candidates. To start your adventure, select your status.

Select your current status:

• Civilian Recruits (never served in the U.S. military)
  
  
• Active Duty Navy Enlisted
  
  
• Naval Officer (and civilians interested in becoming a SEAL officer)
  
  
• Naval Reservist
  
  
• NAVET/OSVET/OSAD (Navy Veteran/Other Service Veteran/Other Service Active Duty)
  
  
• Road to SEAL Teams

SEAL Requirements Congratulations on your decision to join the Navy SEALs and accelerate your life! Upon successful completion of the Physical Screening Test, you will have the opportunity to attend the most demanding Special Operations training in the world. This program is guaranteed to challenge your strength, stamina, mental focus, and commitment. U.S. Citizenship Vision Age ASVAB Gender Waivers

SEAL Image and Video Gallery

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Geared Up	Communications	SEAL Face Paint	Fastrope	Live Fire
Parachute	Paddling to Shore	Night Ops	Woodland Ops	Boats in the Fog
SDV Operations	In From the Water	Submarine Ops	Over the Side	DPV Buggies

SEAL History

Navy SEALs are named after the environment in which they operate, the Sea, Air, and Land, and are the foundation of Naval Special Warfare combat forces. They are organized, trained and equipped to conduct a variety of Special Operations missions in all operational environments. Today’s SEALs trace their history from the elite frogmen of World War II. Training is extremely demanding, both mentally and physically, and produces the world’s best maritime warriors. Our focus during this training is based on three core pillars:

• Men of Character: The nature of our mission requires men who will uphold the Navy Core Values - Honor, Courage, and Commitment.
  
  
• Physical: The nature of our mission also requires men who are physically fit and capable in every environment, especially the water.
  
  
• Technical: Finally, maritime Special Operations require SEALS who are intelligent and can quickly learn new tasks.

Today's Naval Special Warfare operators can trace their origins to the Scouts and Raiders, Naval Combat Demolition Units, Office of Strategic Services Operational Swimmers, Underwater Demolition Teams, and Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons of World War II. While none of those early organizations have survived to present, their pioneering efforts in unconventional warfare are mirrored in the missions and professionalism of the present Naval Special Warfare warriors.

To meet the need for a beach reconnaissance force, selected Army and Navy personnel assembled at Amphibious Training Base, Little Creek, on 15 August 1942 to begin Amphibious Scouts and Raiders (Joint) training. The Scouts and Raiders mission was to identify and reconnoiter the objective beach, maintain a position on the designated beach prior to a landing and guide the assault waves to the landing beach.

The first group included Phil H. Bucklew, the "Father of Naval Special Warfare," after whom the Naval Special Warfare Center building is named. Commissioned in October 1942, this group saw combat in November 1942 during OPERATION TORCH, the first allied landings in Europe, on the North African coast. Scouts and Raiders also supported landings in Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Normandy, and southern France.

A second group of Scouts and Raiders, code-named Special Service Unit #1, was established on July 7, 1943, as a joint and combined operations force. The first mission, in September 1943, was at Finschafen on New Guinea. Later ops were at Gasmata, Arawe, Cape Gloucester, and the East and South coast of New Britain, all without any loss of personnel. Conflicts arose over operational matters, and all non-Navy personnel were reassigned. The unit, renamed 7th Amphibious Scouts, received a new mission, to go ashore with the assault boats, buoy channels, erect markers for the incoming craft, handle casualties, take offshore soundings, blow up beach obstacles and maintain voice communications linking the troops ashore, incoming boats and nearby ships. The 7th Amphibious Scouts conducted operations in the Pacific for the duration of the conflict, participating in more than 40 landings.

The third Scout and Raiders organization operated in China. Scouts and Raiders were deployed to fight with the Sino-American Cooperation Organization, or SACO. To help bolster the work of SACO, Admiral Ernest J. King ordered that 120 officers and 900 men be trained for "Amphibious Roger" at the Scout and Ranger school at Ft. Pierce, FL. They formed the core of what was envisioned as a "guerrilla amphibious organization of Americans and Chinese operating from coastal waters, lakes and rivers employing small steamers and sampans." While most Amphibious Roger forces remained at Camp Knox in Calcutta, three of the groups saw active service. They conducted a survey of the Upper Yangtze River in the Spring of 1945 and, disguised as coolies, conducted a detailed three-month survey of the Chinese coast from Shanghai to Kitchioh Wan, near Hong Kong

In September of 1942, 17 Navy salvage personnel arrived at ATB Little Creek, VA for a one-week concentrated course on demolitions, explosive cable cutting and commando raiding techniques. On 10 November 1942, this first combat demolition unit succeeded in cutting a cable and net barrier across the Wadi Sebou River during Operation TORCH in North Africa. Their actions enabled the USS DALLAS (DD 199) to traverse the river and insert U.S. Rangers who captured the Port Lyautey airdrome.

Plans for a massive cross-channel invasion of Europe had begun and intelligence indicated that the Germans were placing extensive underwater obstacles on the beaches at Normandy. On 7 May 1943, LCDR Draper L. Kauffman, "The Father of Naval Combat Demolition," was directed to set up a school and train people to eliminate obstacles on an enemy-held beach prior to an invasion.

On 6 June 1943, LCDR Kaufmann established Naval Combat Demolition Unit training at Ft. Pierce. By April 1944, a total of 34 NCDUs were deployed to England in preparation for Operation OVERLORD, the amphibious landing at Normandy.

On 6 June 1944, in the face of great adversity, the NCDUs at Omaha Beach managed to blow eight complete gaps and two partial gaps in the German defenses. The NCDUs suffered 31 killed and 60 wounded, a casualty rate of 52%. Meanwhile, the NCDUs at Utah Beach met less intense enemy fire. They cleared 700 yards of beach in two hours, another 900 yards by the afternoon. Casualties at Utah Beach were significantly lighter with 6 killed and 11 wounded. During Operation OVERLORD, not a single demolitioneer was lost to improper handling of explosives.

In August 1944, NCDUs from Utah Beach participated in the landings in southern France, the last amphibious operation in the European Theater of Operations.

NCDUs also operated in the Pacific theater. NCDU 2, under LTjg Frank Kaine, after whom the Naval Special Warfare Command building is named, and NCDU 3 under LTjg Lloyd Anderson, formed the nucleus of six NCDUs that served with the Seventh Amphibious Force tasked with clearing boat channels after the landings from Biak to Borneo.

Some of the earliest World War II predecessors of the SEALs were the Operational Swimmers of the Office of Strategic Services, or OSS. Many current SEAL missions were first assigned to them.

British Combined Operations veteran LCDR Wooley, of the Royal Navy, was placed in charge of the OSS Maritime Unit in June 1943.

Their training started in November 1943 at Camp Pendleton, moved to Catalina Island in January 1944, and finally moved to the warmer waters in the Bahamas in March 1944. Within the U.S. military, they pioneered flexible swim fins and facemasks, closed-circuit diving equipment, the use of swimmer submersibles, and combat swimming and limpet mine attacks.

In May 1944, GEN Donovan, the head of the OSS, divided the unit into groups. He loaned Group 1, under LT Choate, to ADM Nimitz, as a way to introduce the OSS into the Pacific Theater. They became part of UDT-10 in July 1944. Five OSS men participated in the very first UDT submarine operation with the USS BURRFISH in the Caroline Islands in August 1944.

Admiral Chester Nimitz’s "Granite Plan" for central Pacific operations required an efficient amphibious force. Many of the targeted islands were coral atolls with reefs that acted as natural obstacles to landings. During early November 1943, SeaBees engaged in experimental underwater blasting work were assembled at Waipio Amphibious Operating Base on Oahu to begin training in underwater demolition.

On 23 November 1943, the U. S. Marine landing on Tarawa Atoll emphasized the need for hydrographic reconnaissance and underwater demolition of obstacles prior to any amphibious landing.

After Tarawa, 30 officers and 150 enlisted men were moved to Waimanalo Amphibious Training Base to form the nucleus of a demolition training program. This group became Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) ONE and TWO.

The UDTs saw their first combat on 31 January 1944, during Operation FLINTLOCK in the Marshall Islands. FLINTLOCK became the real catalyst for the UDT training program in the Pacific Theater. In February 1944, the Naval Combat Demolition Training and Experimental Base was established at Kihei, Maui, next to the Amphibious Base at Kamaole.

Eventually, 34 UDT teams were established. Wearing swim suits, fins, and facemasks on combat operations, these "Naked Warriors" saw action across the Pacific in every major amphibious landing including: Eniwetok, Saipan, Guam, Tinian, Angaur, Ulithi, Pelilui, Leyte, Lingayen Gulf, Zambales, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Labuan, Brunei Bay, and on 4 July 1945 at Balikpapan on Borneo which was the last UDT demolition operation of the war.

The rapid demobilization at the conclusion of the war reduced the number of active duty UDTs to two on each coast with a complement of 7 officers and 45 enlisted men each.

The Korean War began on 25 June 1950, when the North Korean army invaded South Korea. Beginning with a detachment of 11 personnel from UDT 3, UDT participation expanded to three teams with a combined strength of 300 men.

As part of the Special Operations Group, or SOG, UDTs successfully conducted demolition raids on railroad tunnels and bridges along the Korean coast.

On 15 September 1950, UDTs supported Operation CHROMITE, the Amphibious landing at Inchon. UDT 1 and 3 provided personnel who went in ahead of the landing craft, scouting mud flats, marking low points in the channel, clearing fouled propellers, and searching for mines. Four UDT personnel acted as wave-guides for the Marine landing.

In October 1950, UDTs supported mine-clearing operations in Wonsan Harbor where frogmen would locate and mark mines for minesweepers. On 12 October 1950, two U.S. minesweepers hit mines and sank. UDTs rescued 25 sailors. The next day, William Giannotti conducted the first U.S. combat operation using an "aqualung" when he dove on the USS PLEDGE.

For the remainder of the war, UDTs conducted beach and river reconnaissances, infiltrated guerrillas behind the lines from sea, continued mine sweeping operations, and participated in Operation FISHNET, which severely damaged the North Korean’s fishing capability.

Responding to President Kennedy’s desire for the Services to develop an Unconventional Warfare (UW) capability, the U.S. Navy established SEAL Teams ONE and TWO in January of 1962. Formed entirely with personnel from Underwater Demolition Teams, the SEALs mission was to conduct counterguerilla warfare and clandestine operations in maritime and riverine environments.

SEAL involvement in Vietnam began immediately and was advisory in nature. SEAL advisors instructed the Vietnamese in clandestine maritime operations. SEALs also began a UDT style training course for the Biet Hai Commandos, the Junk Force Commando platoons, in Danang.

In February 1966, a small SEAL Team ONE detachment arrived in Vietnam to conduct direct-action missions. Operating out of Nha Be, in the Rung Sat Special Zone, this detachment signaled the beginning of a SEAL presence that would eventually include 8 SEAL platoons in country on a continuing basis. Additionally, SEALs served as advisors for Provincial Reconnaissance Units and the Lien Doc Nguoi Nhia, or LDNN, the Vietnamese SEALs. The last SEAL platoon departed Vietnam on 7 December 1971. The last SEAL advisor left Vietnam in March 1973.

The UDTs again saw combat in Vietnam while supporting the Amphibious Ready Groups. When attached to the riverine groups the UDTs conducted operations with river patrol boats and, in many cases, patrolled into the hinterland as well as along the riverbanks and beaches in order to destroy obstacles and bunkers. Additionally, UDT personnel acted as advisors.

On May 1, 1983, all UDTs were redesignated as SEAL Teams or Swimmer Delivery Vehicle Teams (SDVT). SDVTs have since been redesignated SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams.

Special Boat Units can also trace their history back to WWII. The Patrol Coastal and Patrol Boat Torpedo are the ancestors of today's PC and MKV. Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron THREE rescued General MacArthur (and later the Filipino President) from the Philippines after the Japanese invasion and then participated in guerrilla actions until American resistance ended with the fall of Corregidor. PT Boats subsequently participated in most of the campaigns in the Southwest Pacific by conducting and supporting joint/combined reconnaissance, blockade, sabotage, and raiding missions as well as attacking Japanese shore facilities, shipping, and combatants. PT Boats were used in the European Theater beginning in April 1944 to support the OSS in the insertions of espionage and French Resistance personnel and for amphibious landing deception. While there is no direct line between organizations, NSW embracement is predicated on the similarity in craft and mission.

The development of a robust riverine warfare capability during the Vietnam War produced the forerunner of the modern Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman. Mobile Support Teams provided combat craft support for SEAL operations, as did Patrol Boat, Riverine (PBR) and Swift Boat sailors. In February 1964, Boat Support Unit ONE was established under Naval Operations Support Group, Pacific to operate the newly reinstated Patrol Torpedo Fast (PTF) program and to operate high-speed craft in support of NSW forces. In late 1964 the first PTFs arrived in Danang, Vietnam. In 1965, Boat Support Squadron ONE began training Patrol Craft Fast crews for Vietnamese coastal patrol and interdiction operations. As the Vietnam mission expanded into the riverine environment, additional craft, tactics, and training evolved for riverine patrol and SEAL support.

SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams historical roots began during WWII, however with Italian and British combat swimmers and wet submersibles. Naval Special Warfare entered the submersible field in the 1960's when the Coastal Systems Center developed the Mark 7, a free-flooding SDV of the type used today, and the first SDV to be used in the fleet. The Mark 8 and 9 followed in the late 1970's. Today's Mark 8 Mod 1 and the soon to be accepted for fleet use Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS), a dry submersible, provide NSW with an unprecedented capability that combines the attributes of clandestine underwater mobility and the combat swimmer.

Post-Vietnam War operations that NSW forces have participated in include URGENT FURY (Grenada 1983); EARNEST WILL (Persian Gulf 1987-1990); JUST CAUSE (Panama 1989-1990); and DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM (Middle East/Persian Gulf 1990-1991). More recently NSW has conducted missions in Somalia, Bosnia, Haiti, and Liberia.

Contact & Booking Information
MISSION AND HISTORY The U.S. Navy Parachute Team is a fifteen-man team comprised entirely of U.S. Navy SEALs -- Sea, Air, and Land commandos. Each member comes to the team for a three-year tour from one of the two Naval Special Warfare Groups located on the east and west coasts. On completion of the tour, members return to operational SEAL Teams. The parachute team began in 1969 when Navy Seals and Frogmen volunteered to perform at weekend air shows. The team was officially commissioned as the U.S. Navy Parachute Team "Leap Frogs" in 1974 by the Chief of Naval Operations and assigned the mission of demonstrating Navy excellence throughout the United States. The Leap Frogs support Navy recruiting efforts and promote the Naval Special Warfare community to the American public. LEAP FROGS PERFORMANCE FORMATIONS A typical Leap Frogs performance consists of fourteen jumpers leaping out of an aircraft at an altitude of 12,500 feet. During free fall, jumpers reach speeds of 120 mph and can accelerate up to 180 mph by pulling their arms to their sides and straightening their legs into what is called a "track." The jumpers typically open their parachutes at around 5,000 feet by releasing a smaller pilot chute which deploys their main blue-and-gold canopy. After deploying their chutes, the Leap Frogs fly their canopies together to build dramatic canopy-relative work formations. The Leap Frogs are renowned for exciting and complex formations such as downplanes, sideplanes, dragplanes, diamonds, big stacks, tri-by-sides, and T formations (see photographs below). They are the only demonstration parachute team in the world to execute the quad-by-side formation. After performances, the Leap Frogs make themselves available to the public to answer questions about the Navy and the Naval Special Warfare community, as well as to sign autographs.
2002 Performance

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Games I Have And Pictures here.

I have Medal Of Honor Allied Assault And Spearhead and i have Return To Castle Wolfenstein and deer hunter 5 and delta force 1,2,and landwarrior if anybody wants and has some of these games ill play them with ya

The Congressional Medal Of Honor The Medal of Honor, established by joint resolution of Congress, 12 July 1862 (amended by Act of 9 July 1918 and Act of 25 July 1963) is awarded in the name of Congress to a person who, while a member of the Armed Services, distinguishes himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against any enemy of The United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which The United States is not a belligerent party. The deed performed must have been one of personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his comrades and must have involved risk of life. Incontestable proof of the performance of service is exacted and each recommendation for award of this decoration is considered on the standard of extraordinary merit. Profiles of America’s Military Heroes from the Civil War to the Present - 3,459 and counting... July 8th 2002 Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipient Army Captain Humbert  "Rocky" Versace  "Heroes are people who do what has to be done when it has to be done, regardless of the consequences" U.S. Army Center of Military History  Full-text Listings of Medal of Honor Citations The President, in the name of Congress, has awarded more than 3,400 Medals of Honor to our nation's bravest Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen since the decoration's creation in 1861. The Medal of Honor was first issued during the Civil War, and since it was the only military award for valor during that war, 1,527 medals were awarded. By the time of the Spanish American War, there were more earned medals available for distribution, and the Medal of Honor became the supreme honor. During the military action in Vietnam, a much longer conflict than the Civil War, 238 medals were awarded. Early in the Civil War, a medal for individual valor was proposed to General-in-Chief of the Army Winfield Scott. But Scott felt medals smacked of European affectation and killed the idea. The medal found support in the Navy, however, where it was felt recognition of courage in strife was needed. Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy medal of valor, was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on December 21, 1861. The medal was "to be bestowed upon such petty officers, seamen, landsmen, and Marines as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry and other seamanlike qualities during the present war." Shortly after this, a resolution similar in wording was introduced on behalf of the Army. Signed into law July 12, 1862, the measure provided for awarding a medal of honor "to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldierlike qualities, during the present insurrection." Although it was created for the Civil War, Congress made the Medal of Honor a permanent decoration in 1863. 1,520 Medals were awarded during the Civil War, 1,195 to the Army, 308 to the Navy, 17 to the Marines. 25 Medals were awarded posthumously. For years, the citations highlighting these acts of bravery and heroism resided in dusty archives and only sporadically were printed. In 1973, the U.S. Senate ordered the citations compiled and printed as Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1973 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973). This book was later updated and reprinted in 1979. The breakdown of these is a duplicate of that in the congressional compilation. Likewise, some minor misspelling and other errors are duplicated from the official government volume. These likely were the result of the original transcriptions. The following is an index of the full-text files by war. Civil War Era      Army, Navy (left to right)                                                    Coming Soon...Historic Battles, Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, Battle of the Bulge,  Gettysburg, D-Day,  Full-Text Citations All Recipients Civil War (A-L) Civil War (M-Z) Indian War Campaigns Interim 1866-1870 1871 Korean Campaign Interim 1871-1898 Spanish American War President Theodore Roosevelt Philippine Insurrection China Relief Expedition (Boxer Rebellion) Interim 1901-1911 Action Against Outlaws--Philippines 1911 Mexican Campaign (Vera Cruz) Haiti 1915 Interim 1915-16 Dominican Campaign World War I Sgt. Alvin C. York Eddie Rickenbacker Haiti Campaign 1919-1920 Second Nicaraguan Campaign Interim 1920-1940 All African American Medal of Honor Recipients Civil War Colored Troops The American Negro in World War I World War II African American Medal of Honor Recipients World War II (A-F) World War II (G-L) World War II (M-S) World War II (T-Z) World War II Links Korean War History of the Vietnam War Vietnam War (A-F) Vietnam War (G-L) Vietnam War (M-R) Vietnam War (S-Z) Somalia Special Act of Congress Special Forces Hispanic Recipients Quartermaster Recipients Signal Corps Recipients The Only Woman Recipient - Mary Walker The Only Coast Guard Recipient - Douglas Munro Native American Code Talkers Newest Medals Pearl Harbor Attack Recipients Living Recipients Gettysburg Recipients Immigrant Recipients Irish Born Recipients Canadian Recipients Virginia Tech Recipients Historic Battles Medal Heroes Croix de Guerre Audie Murphy Pappy Boyington Jimmy Doolittle Billy Mitchell William Carney Desmond Doss Roy Benavidez Chuck Yeager Ernest Childers Mitchell Red Cloud Father Vincent Capodanno Jacob Parrott Edourd Victor Michel Izac Charles Lindbergh Clyde Thomason Peter Lemon Julian Scott - Youngest Recipient Charles Coolidge Sam Woodfill Alfred Rascon Eugene Obregon Henry Erwin Dorie Miller Maynard Smith Ben Salomon Jon Swanson Leopold Karpeles Thomas Kelley David Shoup Powhatan Beaty Henry Breault William Charette Patrick White Joseph Kerrey John Levitow Dwight Johnson Frank Luke H. C. Barnum Jr. Ed W. Freeman James E. Robinson Michael McKeever Vernon Baker William McGonagle Robert Howard Ira Hayes Miles Oviatt Additional Information Medal of Honor Statistics Code of Federal Regulations Books About the Medal of Honor Acts of Congress Buffalo Soldiers Double Medal of Honor Recipients The 1st 55 Years A Brief History of the Medal of Honor Issues & History DOD Medal of Honor Bibliography First Medal Awarded Heroism Medals Croix de Guerre White House & Government Websites Civilian Military Draft Asian-Pacific Americans Medal of Honor America's First Top Secret Hero Medal of Honor Recipients Buried in Arlington Cemetery Go For Broke Civil War Sites Medal of Honor History Presidential Medal of Freedom Congressional Gold Medal Defense of Freedom Medal Ellis Island Medal of Honor Army Recipients Air Force Recipients Marines Recipients Navy Recipients Coast Guard Recipient Army Medical Department Recipients Army Musicians The Medal Of Honor Army Civil War Campaign Medal Purged Medals of 1916-1917 Marine Recon Marine Raiders Civil War Generals Confederate Army Honor Roll Navy History Navy Seals Navy Medical Native Warriors Indian Scouts Native American Medal of Honor Recipients Illustrations & Descriptions Medal of Honor Recipients on Film Medal of Honor Memorial Iwo Jima Recipients Jewish Recipients History of War Military Unit Recipients Military Rank Insignia Military Links Military Records Jose Betancourt Casualties of War Veterans Zimmerman Telegram Examples of the different Medals of Honor Photograph by Richard Dorbin of Paragon Lights, Easton, MD Navy present, Navy Civil War era, Air Force present, Army Civil War era, Army present (clockwise from left)                 Artist Rendering of Hispanic Medal of Honor Memorial Los Angeles, Ca Recent passings  Private James R. Hendrix Passed Away on Friday, November 14th, 2002 Private Hendrix exposed himself and dismounted his half-track on two occasions, thus saving three of his fellow soldiers among other exploits. This was during the push to Bastogne during WWII Vietnam War Warrant Officer Louis R. Rocco Passed Away on Thursday, October 31st, 2002 Back in Vietnam Sgt. 1st Class Rocco volunteered to escort wounded South Vietnamese soldiers on an airlift. The helicopter was forced to crash land and Rocco suffered serious injuries. Despite this he pulled survivors from the wreckage and sustained burns. Rocco then carried all of the unconscious survivors, one at a time, 20 meters to safety. Vietnam War Recipient P/Sgt. Finnis D. McCleery of San Angelo, Texas died of a heart attack July 11th 2002.He received the Medal of Honor in 1968 for charging up a steep hill alone and wiping out enemy batteries while under heavy fire. World War II Medal of Honor Recipients for heroism Pfc. Gino Merli and Lt. Jack C. Montgomery both passed away June 11, 2002. Staff Sgt. Rudolph Davila, 86, of Vista, Calif passed away January 26th 2002.  In the Army’s breakout from a beachhead in Anzio, Italy, in 1943, he single-handedly saved 130 riflemen from German machine-gun fire by silencing several gun positions. He was member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team or 100th Infantry Battalion who coined the motto "Go For Broke". William E. Barber, Korean War Recipient passed away on April 19, 2002. Pfc. Clarence Craft passed away passed away March 28, 2002,  was instrumental in breaking the Japanese line of defense on Okinawa.  Staff Sgt. Henry E. Erwin passed away January 16th 2002. This leaves just 142 living Medal of Honor Recipients, the least number since the medal was first initiated in 1861. Identification of Ownership of a Medal of Honor The grade, name, and organization of the awardee are engraved on the reverse of the Medal of Honor. The name only of the awardee is engraved on the reverse of every other decoration and the Good Conduct Medal. Normally, engraving will be accomplished prior to presentation. When this is impracticable, the awardee will be informed that he or she may mail the decoration (or Good Conduct Medal) to the Commander, U.S. Army Support Activity, Philadelphia, 2800 South 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19101-3460, for engraving at Government expense. Recipients of the Medal of Honor receive $600 per month for life, a right to burial at Arlington National Cemetery, admission for them or their children to a service academy (if they qualify and quotas permit), and free travel on government aircraft to almost anywhere in the world, on a space-available basis.                                                    From left to right: Navy, Air Force, and Army Medals of Honor.

  

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The  Presidential Medal of Freedom

The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, recognizes exceptional meritorious service. The medal was established by President Truman in 1945 to recognize notable service in the war. In 1963, President Kennedy reintroduced it as an honor for distinguished civilian service in peacetime.

    

The Presidential Medal of Freedom, medal awarded annually by the President of the United States to individuals selected by him or recommended to him by the Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board. Recipients of the medal are those who have made outstanding contributions to the security or national interest of the United States or to world peace, or those who have made a significant public or private accomplishment. In 1963 President John F. Kennedy ordered the former Medal of Freedom renamed and the recommending board altered by adding five members from outside the executive branch of the government to the five members from within it. Recipients have included educators, diplomats, authors, scientists, and business executives.

 

Since 1993 Only - Complete List

1993*	Arthur Ashe, Jr. (tennis professional)
1993	William J. Brennan, Jr. (jurist)
1993	Marjory Stoneman Douglas (conservationist)
1993	J. William Fulbright (public servant)
1993*	Thurgood Marshall (jurist)
1993	General Colin L. Powell1 (soldier)
1993*	Joseph L. Raugh, Jr. (civil-rights and labor activist)
1993	Martha Raye (entertainer)
1993	John Minor Wisdom (public servant)
1994	Herbert Block (cartoonist)
1994*	Cesar Chavez (labor leader)
1994	Arthur Flemming (government servant)
1994	James Grant (executive director, UNICEF)
1994	Dorothy Height (civil-rights leader)
1994	Barbara Jordan (public servant)
1994	Lane Kirkland (labor leader)
1994	Robert H. Michel (public servant)
1994	R. Sargent Shriver (government servant)
1995	Peggy Charren (children's television advocate)
1995	William Thaddeus Coleman, Jr. (public servant and civil-rights advocate)
1995	Joan Ganz Cooney (children's television advocate)
1995	John Hope Franklin (historian)
1995	A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. (jurist and civil-rights advocate)
1995	Frank M. Johnson, Jr. (jurist)
1995	C. Everett Koop (public-health worker)
1995	Gaylord A. Nelson (public servant and conservationist)
1995	Walter P. Reuther (labor leader)
1995	James W. Rouse (urban planner)
1995*	William C. Velasquez (voting rights advocate)
1995	Lew R. Wasserman (media executive)
1996	James Scott Brady (gun-control advocate)
1996	Cardinal Joseph Bernadin (Catholic leader)
1996	Millard D. Fuller (founder, Habitat for Humanity)
1996	David Alan Hamburg (physician and children's advocate)
1996	John H. Johnson (founder, Ebony and Jet)
1996	Eugene M. Lang (founder, “I Have a Dream” Foundation)
1996	Jan Nowak-Jezioranski (WWII Polish resistance fighter)
1996	Antonia Pantoja (Puerto Rican educational and economic advocate)
1996	Rosa Parks (civil-rights leader)
1996	Ginetta Sagan (advocate for political prisoners)
1996	Morris Udall (public servant)
1997	Robert Dole (public servant)
1997	William J. Perry (soldier)
1998	Arnold Aronson (civil-rights advocate)
1998	Brooke Astor (philanthropist)
1998	Robert Coles (psychiatrist and author)
1998	Justin Dart, Jr. (founder of Americans with Disabilities Act)
1998	James Farmer (civil-rights leader)
1998	Dante B. Fascell (public servant)
1998	Zachary Fisher (philanthropist)
1998	Frances Hesselbein (former leader of the Girl Scouts of America)
1998	Fred Korematsu (activist redressing Japanese-American internment in WWII)
1998	Sol M. Linowitz (jurist)
1998	Wilma Mankiller (former Cherokee Nation leader)
1998	Margaret Murie (environmentalist)
1998	Mario G. Obledo (activist for Mexican-American civil rights)
1998	Elliot L. Richardson (public servant)
1998	David Rockefeller (philanthropist)
1998*	Albert Shanker (educator)
1998	Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. (soldier)
1999	Lloyd M. Bentsen (public servant)
1999	Edgar M. Bronfman, Sr. (president of World Jewish Congress)
1999	President Jimmy Carter (public servant, activist)
1999	Rosalynn Carter (human-rights activist)
1999	Evelyn Dubrow (lobbyist)
1999	Sister Isolina Ferré (advocate for the poor)
1999	President Gerald Ford (public servant)
1999	Oliver White Hill (civil-rights lawyer)
1999	Max Kampelman (arms-control expert)
1999	Helmut Kohl (former German chancellor)
1999	Edgar Wayburn (Sierra Club leader)
2000	Aung San Suu Kyi (human rights activist)
2000	James Edward Burke (businessman, antidrug activist)
2000*	John Chafee (public servant)
2000	Gen. Wesley Clark (soldier)
2000	Adm. William Crowe (soldier)
2000	Marian Wright Edelman (lawyer, president of Children's Defense Fund)
2000	John Kenneth Galbraith (economist)
2000	Monsignor George Higgins (labor movement advocate)
2000	Rev. Jesse Jackson (civil-rights activist)
2000	Mildred Jeffrey (women's labor activist)
2000	Mathilde Krim (AIDS researcher)
2000	George McGovern (public servant)
2000	Cruz Reynoso (lawyer, civil-rights advocate)
2000	Rev. Gardner Taylor (author, civil-rights advocate)
2000	Simon Wiesenthal (concentration camp survivor, Nazi hunter)
2000	Daniel Patrick Moynihan (public servant)
2002	Hank Aaron (baseball player)
2002	Bill Cosby (comedian and actor)
2002	Plácido Domingo (tenor)
2002	Peter Drucker (management theorist)
2002*	Katharine Graham (newspaper publisher)
2002	Dr. D. A. Henderson (leader in eradication of smallpox)
2002	Irving Kristol (author and editor)
2002	Nelson Mandela (former South African president)
2002	Gordon Moore (Intel co-founder)
2002	Nancy Reagan (former first lady)
2002	Fred Rogers (children's television host)

1. With Distinction

NOTE: An asterisk following a year denotes a posthumous award.

Medal of Freedom Recipient President Gerald R. Ford

HISTORY AND INFORMATION

OF

THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM

The Award Creation Selecting Recipients The Certificate The Medal and Accompanying Insignia Wearing the Medal

 

THE AWARD The Presidential Medal of Freedom is America's highest civilian award and, among all American honors, it ranks second to only the Congressional Medal of Honor the nation's highest military award. This great honor is reserved for individuals the President deems to have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. Though it may be awarded for singular acts of momentous import, it is generally conferred only for a lifetime of service or at the conclusion of a distinguished career. The award is "given only after careful thought, always sparingly so as not to debase its currency." In the thirty years from the award's creation by President Kennedy through the close of the Bush administration, three hundred recipients were accorded this high honor. Of these three hundred recipients, only Ellsworth Bunker was twice awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Since then, Colin Powell (who received the award from President Bush) was awarded a second Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton. CREATION The idea of an annual National Honors List had been a topic of discussion for some time when, on November 28, 1962, the Gallup organization released the results of an opinion poll on the topic. In the poll, Americans were asked if they thought it would be a good idea to establish a National Honors List to recognize individuals for outstanding contributions in the arts, science, letters, education, religion, community service, and other similar endeavors. The pollsters found overwhelming support for the idea among Americans at all levels of educational attainment and in all age groups. They also found support among big majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. On February 22, 1963, less than three months after the poll was released, President Kennedy issued an Executive Order creating the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He created it by renaming and redesigning a previous award the Medal of Freedom and by broadening its scope to include persons who had made especially meritorious contributions "in all forms of endeavor that are touched with the public interest." The new award was to be presented in two degrees, the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction (the higher degree), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. SELECTING RECIPIENTS President Kennedy not only changed the name, design, and scope of the prior award, he also changed the process by which recipients were selected. In the past, the President, Service Secretaries, and the Secretary of State had been permitted to award the Medal of Freedom. However, President Kennedy declared that only the President could award the Presidential Medal of Freedom in either of its degrees. The Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board was charged with nominating individuals to receive the award. Nevertheless, the President remained free to confer the award on persons not nominated by the Board and to reject its nominees. In 1970, President Nixon abolished the Board and its nominating role. THE CERTIFICATE Each recipient receives a certificate signed by the President. The certificate contains a citation formally detailing the achievements for which the President is recognizing the individual. The President determines what the citation will say for each award. Due to space limitations on the face of the certificate, the citations are usually seventy words or less. THE MEDAL AND ACCOMPANYING INSIGNIA Each recipient receives a walnut presentation case. The case is lined with silver gray plush and white satin and contains the medal, a silver miniature medal, a ribbon bar, and a silver lapel emblem or bow. A silver disk containing the arms of the President of the United States is inset on the cover of the case. Production of presentation sets is very limited and, if the medal (or other insignia) is lost, it cannot be replaced. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a five-pointed white star set on a red pentagon. A gold eagle is displayed between each pair of the star's points. In the center of the white star is a blue disc. The disc is edged with gold and bears a constellation of thirteen gold stars. The back of the medal is engraved with a serial number. The medal is in the form of a two-inch pendant suspended from a ribbon. On those rare occasions when the Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded with distinction, the medal is in the form of a three-inch star and is accompanied by a three and three-eighths inch wide sash and rosette of freedom blue (edged with white), a miniature gold medal, a ribbon bar, and a gold lapel emblem or bow. WEARING THE MEDAL The Presidential Medal of Freedom is worn as a pendant suspended from a freedom blue neck ribbon (edged with white) when worn by men and by women in uniform. When worn by women in civilian dress, the medal is suspended from a bow pinned above the left breast. The Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction is worn with the sash over the right shoulder and the star pinned above the left breast. The rosette is fastened to the sash at the left hip (at the crossing of the sash).

15 Americans Campaigners September 11th Newest Medals View by President Jimmy Carter View By President Gerald R. Ford View By Ronald Reagan View By George Bush Recipients Listed By Achievements Medals of Freedom Awarded With Distinction*

Executive Order 11085 THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM     By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:     SECTION 1. Prior orders. The numbered sections of Executive Order No. 9586 of July 6, 1945, as amended by Executive Order No. 10336 of April 3, 1952, are hereby amended to read as follows:     "SECTION 1. Medal established. The Medal of Freedom is hereby re-established as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, with accompanying ribbons and appurtenances. The Presidential Medal of Freedom, hereinafter referred to as the Medal, shall be in two degrees.     "SEC. 2. Award of the Medal. (a) The Medal may be awarded by the President as provided in this order to any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.     "(b) The President may select for award of the Medal any person nominated by the Board referred to in Section 3(a) of this Order, any person otherwise recommended to the President for award of the Medal, or any person selected by the President upon his own initiative.     "(c) The principal announcement of awards of the Medal shall normally be made annually, on or about July 4 of each year; but such awards may be made at other times, as the President may deem appropriate.     "(d) Subject to the provisions of this Order, the Medal may be awarded posthumously.     "SEC. 3. Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board. (a) The Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board, established by Executive Order No. 10717 of June 27, 1957, hereinafter referred to as the Board, is hereby expanded, for the purpose of carrying out the objectives of this Order, to include five additional members appointed by the President from outside the Executive Branch of the Government. The terms of service of the members of the Board appointed under this paragraph shall be five years, except that the first five members so appointed shall have terms of service expiring on the 31st day of July 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1968, respectively. Any person appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which his predecessor was appointed shall serve for the remainder of such term. .    "(b) A chairman of the Board shall be designated by the President from time to time from among the membership of the Board appointed from the Executive Branch.     "(c) For purposes of recommending to the President persons to receive the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, and to carry out the other purposes of Executive Order No. 10717, only the members of the Board from the Executive Branch will sit. The names of persons so recommended will be submitted to the President without reference to the other members of the Board.     "SEC 4. Functions of the Board. (a) Any individual or group may make recommendations to the Board with respect to the award of the Medal, and the Board shall consider such recommendations.     "(b) With due regard for the provisions of Section 2 of this Order, the Board shall screen such recommendations and, on the basis of such recommendations or upon its own motion, shall from time to time submit to the President nominations of individuals for award of the Medal, in appropriate degrees.     "SEC. 5. Expenses. Necessary administrative expenses of the Board incurred in connection with the recommendation of persons to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, including expenses of travel of members of the Board appointed under Section 3 (a) of this Order, during the fiscal year 1963, may be paid from the appropriation provided under the heading 'Special Projects' in the Executive Office Appropriation Act, 1963, 76 Stat. 315, and during subsequent fiscal years, to the extent permitted by law, from any corresponding or like appropriation made available for such fiscal years. Such payments shall be without regard to the provisions of section 3681 of the Revised Statutes and section 9 of the Act of March 4, 1909, 35 Stat. 1027 (31 U.S.C. 672 and 673). Members of the Board appointed under Section 3(a) of this Order shall serve without compensation.     "SEC. 6. Design of the Medal. The Army Institute of Heraldry shall prepare for the approval of the President a design of the Medal in each of its degrees."     SEC. 2. Other existing orders. (a) Section 4 of Executive Order No. 10717, establishing the terms of service of the members of the Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board, is hereby amended to read "The members of the Board shall serve at the pleasure of the President", and the other sections of that Order are amended conformably to this Order.     (b) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Order, existing arrangements for conferring medals and honors shall continue in effect. JOHN F. KENNEDY THE WHITE HOUSE, February 22, 1963.

President George W. Bush Presents the 

Newest Recipients July 9th 2002

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF RECIPIENTS A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z   Aaron, Hank Abel, I.W. Acheson, Dean Adams, Ansel Albright, Horace M. Aldrin, Edwin E., Jr. Anderson, Marian Annenberg, Walter Hubert Apollo 13 Mission Op's Team Armstrong, Anne Legendre Armstrong, Neil A. Aronson, Arnold Ashe, Arthur Astor, Brooke Baker, Howard H., Jr. Baker, James Addison, III Balanchine, George Baldrige, Malcom Baldwin, Roger Nash Ball, Lucille Bardeen, John Basie, William "Count" Behrens, Earl Charles Bellson, Pearl Bailey Bentsen, Lloyd M. Berlin, Irving Bernadin, Joseph Cardinal Black, Eugene Blaik, Earl Henry Blake, James H. "Eubie" Block, Herbert Borlaug, Norman Brady, James Scott Bradley, Omar N. Brennan, William J. Brinkley, David Bronfman, Edgar M. Sr. Bronk, Detlev W. Brosio, Manlio Brown, Harold Brown, Irving Bruce, David K.E. Bryant, Paul W. Brzezinski, Zbigniew Buckley, William F., Jr. Bunche,Ralph J. Bundy, McGeorge Bunker, Ellsworth (1st) Bunker, Ellsworth (2nd) Burger, Warren E. Burke, Arleigh Burke, James Edward Burnham, James Cagney, James Calder, Alexander Carrington, Lord Peter Carson, Johnny Carson, Rachel Carter, President Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Casals, Pablo Catton, Bruce Caulfield, Genevieve Chafee, John Chambers, Whittaker Charren, Peggy Chase, Lucia Chavez, Cesar E. Cheek, James Cheney, Richard B. Cherne, Leo Christopher, Warren Clark, Gen. Wesley Clifford, Clark M. Coleman, William T. Jr. Coles, Robert Collins, Michael Conant, James B. Cooke, Terence Cardinal Cooney, Joan Ganz Cooley, Denton Copland, Aaron Cosby, Bill Cousteau, Jacques-Yves Cronkite, Walter Crowe, Adm. William Dart, Justin Jr. de Kooning, Willem DeBakey, Michael Dillon, C. Douglas DiMaggio, Joe Disney, Walter Dole, Robert Dobie, J. Frank Domingo, Placido Doolittle, James Douglas, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Kirk Drucker, Peter R. Dubinsky, David Dubrow, Evelyn Durant, Ariel Durant, Will Edwards, Lena F. Edelman, Marian Wright Eliot, Thomas Stearns Ellington, Edward Kennedy Ellison, Ralph Enders, John F. Farmer, James L. Fascell, Dante B. Ferré, Luis A. Ferré, Sister Isolina Fiedler, Arthur Fisher, Zachary Fitzgerald, Ella Flemming, Arthur Folliard, Edward T. Fontanne, Lynn Ford, Betty Ford, President Gerald Ford, Ernest Jennings Ford, Henry, II Ford, John Frankfurter, Felix Franklin, John H. Friedman, Milton Friendly, Henry J. Fulbright, James William Fuller, Millard D. Fuller, R. Buckminster Galbraith, John K. Garcia, Hector Gardner, John W. Goldberg, Arthur J. Goldwater, Barry Morris Goldwyn, Samuel Goodpaster, Andrew Graham, Billy Graham, Katherine Graham, Martha Grant, James Grasso, Ella T. Gray, Hanna Holborn Greenough, Beverly Sills Habib, Philip C. Haise, Fred Wallace, Jr. Hamburg, David A. Harlow, Bryce N. Harriman, W. Averell Henderson, Dr. D. A. Height, Dorothy Irene Henry, William M. Hepburn, Audrey Hesselbein, Frances Hesburgh, Theodore M. Higginbotham, A. Leon Jr. Hill, Oliver White Higgins, Monsignor George Hoffer, Eric Hoffman, Paul G. Holland, Jerome Hartwell Holton, Karl Hook, Sidney Hope, Bob Hopkins, William J. Horowitz, Vladimir Humphrey, Hubert H. Iakovos, Archbishop Jackson, Henry Martin Jackson, Rev. Jesse Javits, Jacob K. Jeffrey, Mildred John XXIII, His Holiness Pope Johnson, Clarence L. Johnson, John H. Johnson, Frank M. Jr. Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson, Lyndon Baines Jordan, Barbara Judd, Walter H. Kaiser, Edgar Kampelman, Max Kappel, Frederick Kaufman, Irving Robert Kaye, Danny Keller, Helen Kennan, George Kennedy, John Fitzgerald King, Martin Luther, Jr. Kiphuth, Robert J. Kirkland, Joseph L. Kirkpatrick, Jeane Kirstein, Lincoln Kissinger, Henry A. Koop, C. Everett Korematsu, Fred Kohl, Helmut Komer, Robert W. Kristol, Irving Krim, Mathilde Krock, Arthur L´Amour, Louis Laird, Melvin R. Land, Edwin H. Lang, Eugene M. Lasker, Mary Lawrence, David Lehman, Herbert H. Leibman, Morris I. Lemnitzer, Lyman L. Lewis, John L. Lincoln, George Gould Linowitz, Sol M. Lippmann, Walter Locke, Eugene Murphy Lovell, James Arthur, Jr. Lovett, Robert A. Low, George M. Lowman, Charles LeRoy Luce, Clare Booth Luns, Joseph M.A.H. Lunt, Alfred MacArthur, Helen Hayes MacArthur, Jean Faircloth MacDonald, J. Clifford MacLeish, Archibald Macy, John Malone, Dumas Mandela, Nelson Mankiller, Wilma Mansfield, Michael Marriott, J. Willard Marshall, Thurgood McCloy, John J. McCone, John A. McGill, Ralph McGovern, George McNamara, Margaret Craig McNamara, Robert S. Mead, Margaret Meany, George Meiklejohn, Alexander Menninger, Karl Mercer, Mabel Michel, Robert H.  Michener, James Albert Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig Mitchell, Clarence M., Jr. Moley, Raymond Monnet, Jean Moore, Gordon E. Morison, Samuel Eliot Moynihan, Daniel Patrick Mumford, Lewis Muñoz-Marín, Luis Murie, Margaret Murrow, Edward R. Muskie, Edmund S. Nelson, Gaylord Niebuhr, Reinhold Nitze, Paul H. Nowak-Jezioranski Jan Obledo, Mario G. O'Keeffe, Georgia O'Neill, Thomas P., Jr. Ormandy, Eugene Owens, Jesse Packard, David Pantoja, Antonia Parks, Rosa Patterson, Frederick D. Peale, Norman Vincent Peck, Gregory Pei, Ieoh Ming Pepper, Claude Perez de Cuellar, Javier Perlmutter, Nathan Perry, William J. Peterson, Esther Peterson, Roger Tory Petty, Richard Lee Powell, Colin L. Price, Leontyne Ramo, Simon Randall, Clarence B. Rauh, Joseph L. Jr. Raye, Martha Randolph, A. Philip Reagan, Nancy D. Reagan, Ronald Reuther, Walter Reynoso, Cruz Reynolds, Frank Richardson, Elliot L. Rickover, Hyman Ridgway, Matthew B. Ripley, S. Dillon Robinson, Jackie Rockefeller, David Rockefeller, Laurance Rockefeller, Nelson A. Rockwell, Norman Rogers, Mr. Fred Rogers, William P. Romulo, Carlos P. Rosenthal, A. M. Rostow, Walt Whitman Rostropovich, Mstislav Royster, Vermont Connecticut Rouse, James Rubinstein, Arthur Rumsfeld, Donald H. Rusk, Dean Sabin, Albert Bruce Sadat, Anwar el- Sagan, Ginetta Salk, Jonas E. Sandburg, Carl Schwarzkopf, H. Norman Scowcroft, Brent Serkin, Rudolf Shanker, Albert Shlaudeman, Harry W. Shouse, Catherine Filene Shriver, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Sargent R. Shultz, George P. Sinatra, Frank Smith, Gerard C. Smith, Kate Smith, Margaret Chase Smith, Merriman St. Johns, Adela Rogers Steichen, Edward Steinbeck, John Stern, Isaac Stevens, Roger L. Stewart, James M. Strauss, Robert S. Sullivan, Leon Howard Suu Kyi, Aung San Swigert, John Leonard, Jr. Taussig, Helen B. Taylor, George W. Taylor, Rev. Gardner Teresa, Mother Thatcher, Margaret Thomas, Lowell Thornton, Charles B. "Tex" Train, Russell E. Tuttle, Elbert Udall, Morris Vance, Cyrus Vann, John Paul Velasquez, Willie Vessey, John W. Vinson, Carl von Hayek, Friedrich August Walesa, Lech Wallace, DeWitt Wallace, Lila Acheson Walsh, William B. Walters, Vernon A. Walton, Samuel M. Warren, Earl Warren, Robert Penn Wasserman, Lew Waterman, Alan T. Watson, James D. Watson, Mark S. Watson, Thomas J., Jr. Wauneka, Annie D. Wayburn, Edgar Wayne, John Webb, James E. Wedemeyer, Albert C. Weinberger, Caspar W. Welty, Eudora White, E.B. White, Paul Dudley White, William S. Wiesel, Elie Wiesenthal, Simon Wilder, Thornton Wilkins, Roy Williams, Tennessee Williams, Theodore Samuel Willson, Meredith Wilson, Edmund Wisdom, John Minor Wohlstetter, Albert Wohlstetter, Roberta Wyeth, Andrew Yeager, Chuck Young, Andrew Young, Whitney M., Jr. Zumwalt, Adm. Elmo R. Jr.

Indian Nations are sovereign governments, recognized in the U.S. Constitution and hundreds of treaties with the U.S. President. The history of this continent's original inhabitants encompasses a broad range of cultures and experiences. American Indians varied greatly from region to region, as did their reactions to European settlement. This website will delve into the vast and storied background of most tribes and seek to supply the visitors with as much knowledge as possible about the proud history of Native Americans. Please join us on this journey into the past, experience the present and dream about the future of the American Indian.  When Columbus landed on the island of San Salvador in 1492 he was welcomed by a brown-skinned people whose physical appearance confirmed him in his opinion that he had at last reached India, and whom, therefore, he called Indios, Indians, a name which, however mistaken in its first application continued to hold its own, and has long since won general acceptance, except in strictly scientific writing, where the more exact term American is commonly used. As exploration was extended north and south it was found that the same race was spread over the whole continent, from the Arctic shores to Cape Horn, everywhere alike in the main physical characteristics, with the exception of the Eskimo in the extreme North, whose features suggest the Mongolian...continue

Native Americans (American Indians) make up less than one percent of the total U.S. population but represent half the languages and cultures in the nation. The term "Native American" includes over 500 different groups and reflects great diversity of geographic location, language, socioeconomic conditions, school experience, and retention of traditional spiritual and cultural practices. However, most of the commercially prepared teaching materials available present a generalized image of Native American people with little or no regard for differences that exist from tribe to tribe. Mohawk (Iroquois) The Iroquois League, or Five Nations of the Iroquois, was the most powerful Indian military alliance in the eastern part of North America and probably the most successful alliance of any kind between so many important tribes. There were three principal clans - deer, turtle and wolf - existing within the five nations, and this was probably an important unifying factor in the league. The league was formed in the late sixteenth century at which time the five nations had a combined population of 7000. Mohican (Mohegan) and/or Mahican What a confusion of facts. After reading through several texts and visiting many sites on the web, it has become clear as mud that everyone has a differing opinion about the relationships between these three tribes. We will therefore include them all on one page and maybe through your wanderings, you will discover the truth. If you do, please let us in on it. Creek The Creek were originally one of the dominant tribes in the mid-south and later became known as one of the Five Civilized Tribes. They were known in their own language as Muskoke or Muskoge, by the Shawnee as Humaskogi, by the Delaware as Masquachki and by the British as the Ochese Creek Indians, hence the present name. Their name has been adapted for that of their linguistic group and for Muskogee, Oklahoma, which was a major city of the Creek Nation in Indian territory. Cherokee The Cherokee were one of the largest tribes in the Southeast and were among the earliest to adapt to European civilization. Their name is written Tsalagi in their own language, and they were called Chalakki by the Choctaw, whose language was the language of trade in the Southeast. Southwest Navajo (Dineh, Navaho) TThe Navajo tribe is the largest in the United States, with some 200,000 people occupying the largest and area reserved for Native Americans - 17 million acres in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. The word Navajo derives from the Spanish word for 'people with big fields.' At the time of the arrival of the white man they had developed agriculture, though on a smaller scale than the nearby Hopi and Pueblo peoples. The Navajo were less sedentary than the Hopi and Pueblo tribes, but more so than the Apache of the same region. Zuni The Zuni, like the Hopi, were linguistically distinct from the Pueblo tribes but related to them culturally. The three groups, Zuni, Hopi and Pueblo, had several important characteristics in common. First of all, they lived in pueblos (Spanish for village), which were a composite of adobe houses, frequently interconnected and occasionally multistoried, much like a modern apartment complex. While each Pueblo tribe was associated with a single pueblo, the Hopi and Zuni were each associated with several, and not all members of these tribes lived in pueblos Hopi The Hopi, whose name comes from hopitu meaning 'the peaceful ones,' are traditionally associated culturally with the Zuni and with eht Pueblo Indians. All of these people live in pueblos or cities comprised of a complex of sometimes jultistoried, rectangular houses. The name pueblo drives from the Spanish word for 'people'. The Hopi are descendants of people who migrated into the Southwest prior to 1000 BC. By 700 AD they had developed agriculture and were raising corn, beans, squash and cotton. By 1100 AD they had abandoned their aboriginal pit housed for multi-level adobe houses, and had founded cities at Oraibi and Mesa Verde. Yavapai From prehistoric times, the Yavapai lived as hunters and gatherers practicing occasional agriculture on over nine million acres of central and western Arizona. The three primary groups of Yavapai maintained good relationships with each other and are now located at Ft. McDowell, Camp Verde and Prescott. The Yavapai are known for weaving excellent baskets, which are displayed in many museums. Apache The Apache (from a Zuni word meaning "enemy") are a North American Indian people of the Southwest. Their name for themselves is Inde, or Nde ("the people"). The major nomadic tribe in the American Southwest, the Apache, was also the last major tribe to surrender to government control in the 1880s. Plains Kiowa The Kiowa name is derived from kai-gwa, meaning 'principal people,' and legend has it that they originated in the Yellowstone River country of central Montana. In the eighteenth century, having obtained horses, they moved onto the plains to hunt buffalo. During this time they made alliances with both the Kiowa-Apache as well as their former enemies, the Comanche. This latter association was the basis for the Kiowa-Comanche Reservation formed in Indian Territory in 1892. The Kiowa are noted for having kept a written history. This historical record was kept in the form of a pictographic calendar painted and updated twice a year, in winter and summer, on buffalo skins. Pawnee (Pani, Pana, Panana, Panamaha, Panimaha) The Pawnee name may have derived from Caddoan pariki, meaning 'horn,' a reference to the peculiar manner inwhich the tribe wore the scalplock. The Paunee lived in established villages similar to those of the Mandan. They practiced agriculture but also hunted buffalo on the plains part of the year. They had a complex religion unrelated to other Plains tribes that included offering female captives as a sacrifice to ensure abundant crops. Comanche The Comanche are an offshoot of the Shoshone and one of several numanic speaking tribes. They are linguistically related to the Shoshone, Ute and Paiute, whose language is remotely related to Aztec. Their name comes from the Spanish camino ancho, which means "wide trail." They once lived in the Rocky Mountains near the Shoshone, but migrated to the plains to hunt buffalo. Though they became nomadic Plains Indians, they still maintained good relations with the Shoshone. Osage (Wazhazhe) Closely related to the Omaha, Kansa, Quopaw and Ponca, the Osage are thought to have once lived in the Ohio River valley, but they were first encountered by the white man in Missouri, where they were recorded as having large cornfields. They usually lived in earth lodges, but when on hunting trips to the northern plains in search of buffalo, they carried and used the plains tipi. Great Lakes Miami (Maumee, Twightwee) The Miami, whose name comes from the Chippewa omaumeg, or 'people who live on the peninsula,' first came into contact with white men in 1658 near Green Bay, Wisonsin, but they soon withdrew to the headwaters of the Fox River and later to the headwaters of the Wabash and Maumee rivers. The Miami had good relations with the French, with whom they were allied. They were also closely associated with the Piankashaw, who were once thought to be part of the Miami tribe. Huron (Wyandot) The name Wyandot (or Wendat) is Iroquoian for 'people of the peninsula,' a reference to a peninsula in sourthern Ontario eas of Lake Huron where they originally lived. Their population was estimated at 20,000 in 1615 when first encountered by the French under Samuel de Champlain, who referred to them as Huron ('bristly-headed ruffian'). The first Wyandot groups inthe region probably arrived in the early fourteenth century. In addition to maize, the Wyandot raised beans, squash, sunflowers and tobacco. Ottawa The name Ottawa is derived from the Algonquian adawe, meaning 'to trade,' an apt name for the tribe, who had an active trading relationship with the related Chippewa and Potawatomi as well as other tribes of the region. Like the Chippewa, they built birch bark canoes and harvested wild rice. Ottawa Chief Pontiac rose by 1755 as one of the most important Indian leaders of the era. Ojibwa (Chippewa) To end any confusion, the Ojibwa and Chippewa are not only the same tribe, but the same word pronounced a little differently due to accent. If an "O" is placed in front of Chippewa (O'chippewa), the relationship becomes apparent. Ojibwa is used in Canada, although Ojibwa west of Lake Winnipeg are sometime referred to as the Saulteaux. In United States, Chippewa was used in all treaties and is the official name. The Chippewas were the largest and most powerful tribe in the Great Lakes country, with a range that extended from the edge of Iroquois territory in the Northeast to the Sioux-dominated Great Plains. Both of these major tribes were traditional Chippewa rivals, but neither was powerful enough to threaten the Chippewa heartland, where the Chippewa was master. The tribe used the lakes and rivers of the region like a vast highway network, and developed the birch bark canoe into one of the continent's major means of transportation. Northwest Nez Perce Nez Perce is a misnomer given by the interpreter of the Lewis and Clark expedition team of 1805. The French translate it as "pierced nose." This is untrue as the Nee-me-poo did not practice nose piercing or wearing ornaments. The "pierced nose" people lived on the lower Columbia River and throughout other parts of the Northwest. The famous indian chief and leader, Chief Joseph, was of the Nez Perce. Flathead (Salish) The Flathead, a subgroups of the Spokane tribes, were given their name from a custom common to many Salishan people of practicing head deformation by strapping their infants to hard cradleboards. This flattened the back of the head and made the top appear more round. The Flathead, conversely, did not practice head flattening, and therefore the tops of their heads were flatter than those of the other Salishan people, hence the name. Blackfoot (Siksika) The Blackfoot are one of the several numanic-speaking tribes, and were historically allied with the nomadic Atsina. Ther were the archetypal Plains Indians, for whom the buffalo provided nearly all their needs, from food to clothing to leather for their tipis. Shoshone (Shoshoni) The Shoshone were the most wide-ranging of the Great Basin tribes, with a habitat that stretched from the eastern Oregon desert to southern Colorado. They were closely related to the Bannock, Gosiute, Paiute and Ute, with whom they shared these lands and with shown there was a good deal of intermarriage. Kwakiutl The Kwakiutl were one of the major tribes of the Northwest Coast and once encompassed other nearby tribes such as the Bella Bella, Kitimat, Makah and Nootka, with whom they are linguistically related. Their villages were typical of the Northwest Coast, with large cedar plank houses and intricately carved totem poles, representing the animals with whom a particular family might be religiously associated.

Apache  Chippewa  Code Talkers  Code Talkers Dictionary

First Americans  Fort Sill, OK  Geronimo  Hembrillo Battlefield  

History  Metis  Quapaw  Sioux  Tipis  All Tribes

American Indian Museum Resources

 

Native Americans in the U.S. Army 

Comanche code-talkers of the 4th Signal Company
(U.S. Army Signal Center and Ft. Gordon)

Native American Medal of Honor Winners

United States Volunteers- Native American Units in the Civil War

Code Talkers: Use of the Native Indian Tongue for Secure Communications

Transmitting Messages in Choctaw, 3 January 1919

Lieutenant Colonel Edward E. McClish: Guerrilla Leader in World War II

Images of Indian Scouts at Ft. Huachuca, 1942

Comanche Code Talking on D-day
From the Army Communicator Archives

DoD Honors Last Comanche World War II "Code Talker"
From the DefenseLINK Archives 

American Indians & U.S. Military Service
A Bibliography of Military History Institute Sources

 

Native American Medal of Honor Recipients The Indian War Period ALCHESAY Rank and organization: Sergeant, Indian Scouts. Place and date: Winter of 1872-73. Entered service at: Camp Verde, Ariz. Born: 1853, Arizona Territory. Date of issue: 12 April 1875. Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches. BLANQUET Rank and organization: Indian Scouts. Place and date: Winter of 1872-73. Entered service at:------. Birth: Arizona. Date of issue: 12 April 1875. Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches. CHIQUITO Rank and organization: Indian Scouts. Place and date: Winter of 1871-73. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Arizona. Date of issue: 12 April 1875. Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches. CO-RUX-TE-CHOD-ISH (Mad Bear) Rank and organization: Sergeant, Pawnee Scouts, U.S. Army. Place and date: At Republican River, Kans., 8 July 1869. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Nebraska. Date of issue: 24 August 1869. Citation: Ran out from the command in pursuit of a dismounted Indian; was shot down and badly wounded by a bullet from his own command. ELSATSOOSU Rank and organization: Corporal, Indian Scouts. Place and date: Winter of 1872-73. Entered service at:------. Birth: Arizona. Date of issue: 12 April 1875. Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches. FACTOR, POMPEY Rank and organization: Private, Indian Scouts. Place and date: At Pecos River, Tex., 25 April 1875. Entered service at:------. Birth: Arkansas. Date of issue: 28 May 1875. Citation: With 3 other men, he participated in a charge against 25 hostiles while on a scouting patrol. JIM Rank and organization: Sergeant, Indian Scouts. Place and date: Winter of 1871-73. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Arizona Territory. Date of issue: 12 April 1875. Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches. KELSAY Rank and organization: Indian Scouts. Place and date: Winter of 1872-73. Entered service at:------. Birth: Arizona. Date of issue: 12 April 1875. Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches. KOSOHA Rank and organization: Indian Scouts. Place and date: Winter of 1872-73. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Arizona. Date of issue: 12 April 1875. Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches. MACHOL Rank and organization: Private, Indian Scouts. Place and date: Arizona, 1872-73. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Arizona. Date of issue: 12 April 1875. Citation: Gallant conduct during campaign and engagements with Apaches. NANNASADDIE Rank and organization: Indian Scouts. Place and date: 1872-73. Entered service at:------. Birth: Arizona. Date of issue: 12 April 1875. Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches. NANTAJE (NANTAHE) Rank and organization: Indian Scouts. Place and date: 1872-73. Entered service at:------. Birth: Arizona. Date of issue: 12 April 1875. Citation: Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches. PAINE, ADAM Rank and organization: Private, Indian Scouts. Place and date: Canyon Blanco tributary of the Red River, Tex., 26-27 September 1874. Entered service at: Fort Duncan, Texas. Birth: Florida. Date of issue: 13 October 1875. Citation: Rendered invaluable service to Col. R. S. Mackenzie, 4th U.S. Cavalry, during this engagement. PAYNE, ISAAC Rank and organization: Trumpeter, Indian Scouts. Place and date: At Pecos River, Tex., 25 April 1875. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Mexico. Date of issue: 28 May 1875. Citation: With 3 other men, he participated in a charge against 25 hostiles while on a scouting patrol. ROWDY Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company A, Indian Scouts. Place and date: Arizona, 7 March 1890. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Arizona. Date of issue: 15 May 1890. Citation: Bravery in action with Apache Indians. WARD, JOHN Rank and organization: Sergeant, 24th U.S. Infantry Indian Scouts Place and date: At Pecos River, Tex., 25 April 1875. Entered service at. Fort Duncan, Tex. Birth: Arkansas. Date of issue: 28 May 1875. Citation. With 3 other men, he participated in a charge against 25 hostiles while on a scouting patrol. World War II BARFOOT, VAN T. Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 157th Infantry, 45th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Carano, Italy, 23 May 1944. Entered service at: Carthage, Miss. Birth: Edinburg, Miss. G.O. No.: 79, 4 October 1944. Citation: 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 (then Tech. Sgt.) 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 pointblank fire are a perpetual inspiration to his fellow soldiers. CHILDERS, ERNEST Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 45th Infantry Division. Place and date: At Oliveto, Italy, 22 September 1943. Entered service at: Tulsa, Okla. Birth: Broken Arrow, Okla. G.O. No.: 30, 8 April 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action on 22 September 1943, at Oliveto, Italy. Although 2d Lt. Childers previously had just suffered a fractured instep he, with 8 enlisted men, advanced up a hill toward enemy machinegun nests. The group advanced to a rock wall overlooking a cornfield and 2d Lt. Childers ordered a base of fire laid across the field so that he could advance. When he was fired upon by 2 enemy snipers from a nearby house he killed both of them. He moved behind the machinegun nests and killed all occupants of the nearer one. He continued toward the second one and threw rocks into it. When the 2 occupants of the nest raised up, he shot 1. The other was killed by 1 of the 8 enlisted men. 2d Lt. Childers continued his advance toward a house farther up the hill, and single-handed, captured an enemy mortar observer. The exceptional leadership, initiative, calmness under fire, and conspicuous gallantry displayed by 2d Lt. Childers were an inspiration to his men. *EVANS, ERNEST EDWIN Rank and organization: Commander, U.S. Navy. Born: 13 August 1908, Pawnee, Okla. Accredited to: Oklahoma. Other Navy awards: Navy Cross, Bronze Star Medal. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Johnston in action against major units of the enemy Japanese fleet during the battle off Samar on 25 October 1944. The first to lay a smokescreen and to open fire as an enemy task force, vastly superior in number, firepower and armor, rapidly approached. Comdr. Evans gallantly diverted the powerful blasts of hostile guns from the lightly armed and armored carriers under his protection, launching the first torpedo attack when the Johnston came under straddling Japanese shellfire. Undaunted by damage sustained under the terrific volume of fire, he unhesitatingly joined others of his group to provide fire support during subsequent torpedo attacks against the Japanese and, outshooting and outmaneuvering the enemy as he consistently interposed his vessel between the hostile fleet units and our carriers despite the crippling loss of engine power and communications with steering aft, shifted command to the fantail, shouted steering orders through an open hatch to men turning the rudder by hand and battled furiously until the Johnston, burning and shuddering from a mortal blow, lay dead in the water after 3 hours of fierce combat. Seriously wounded early in the engagement, Comdr. Evans, by his indomitable courage and brilliant professional skill, aided materially in turning back the enemy during a critical phase of the action. His valiant fighting spirit throughout this historic battle will venture as an inspiration to all who served with him. MONTGOMERY, JACK C. Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 45th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near, Padiglione, Italy, 22 February 1944. Entered service at: Sallisaw, Okla. Birth: Long, Okla. G.O. No.: 5, 15 January 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 22 February 1944, near Padiglione, Italy. Two hours before daybreak a strong force of enemy infantry established themselves in 3 echelons at 50 yards, 100 yards, and 300 yards, respectively, in front of the rifle platoons commanded by 1st Lt. Montgomery. The closest position, consisting of 4 machineguns and 1 mortar, threatened the immediate security of the platoon position. Seizing an Ml rifle and several hand grenades, 1st Lt. Montgomery crawled up a ditch to within hand grenade range of the enemy. Then climbing boldly onto a little mound, he fired his rifle and threw his grenades so accurately that he killed 8 of the enemy and captured the remaining 4. Returning to his platoon, he called for artillery fire on a house, in and around which he suspected that the majority of the enemy had entrenched themselves. Arming himself with a carbine, he proceeded along the shallow ditch, as withering fire from the riflemen and machinegunners in the second position was concentrated on him. He attacked this position with such fury that 7 of the enemy surrendered to him, and both machineguns were silenced. Three German dead were found in the vicinity later that morning. 1st Lt. Montgomery continued boldly toward the house, 300 yards from his platoon position. It was now daylight, and the enemy observation was excellent across the flat open terrain which led to 1st Lt. Montgomery's objective. When the artillery barrage had lifted, 1st Lt. Montgomery ran fearlessly toward the strongly defended position. As the enemy started streaming out of the house, 1st Lt. Montgomery, unafraid of treacherous snipers, exposed himself daringly to assemble the surrendering enemy and send them to the rear. His fearless, aggressive, and intrepid actions that morning, accounted for a total of 11 enemy dead, 32 prisoners, and an unknown number of wounded. That night, while aiding an adjacent unit to repulse a counterattack, he was struck by mortar fragments and seriously wounded. The selflessness and courage exhibited by 1st Lt. Montgomery in alone attacking 3 strong enemy positions inspired his men to a degree beyond estimation. *REESE, JOHN N., JR. Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 148th Infantry, 37th Infantry Division. Place and date: Paco Railroad Station, Manila, Philippine Islands. 9 February 1945. Entered service at: Pryor, Okla. Birth. Muskogee, Okla. G.O. No.: 89, 19 October 1945. Citation. He was engaged in the attack on the Paco Railroad Station, which was strongly defended by 300 determined enemy soldiers with machineguns and rifles, supported by several pillboxes, 3 20mm. guns, 1 37-mm. gun and heavy mortars. While making a frontal assault across an open field, his platoon was halted 100 yards from the station by intense enemy fire. On his own initiative he left the platoon. accompanied by a comrade, and continued forward to a house 60 yards from the objective. Although under constant enemy observation. the 2 men remained in this position for an hour, firing at targets of opportunity, killing more than 35 Japanese and wounding many more. Moving closer to the station and discovering a group of Japanese replacements attempting to reach pillboxes, they opened heavy fire, killed more than 40 and stopped all subsequent attempts to man the emplacements. Enemy fire became more intense as they advanced to within 20 yards of the station. From that point Pfc. Reese provided effective covering fire and courageously drew enemy fire to himself while his companion killed 7 Japanese and destroyed a 20-mm. gun and heavy machinegun with handgrenades. With their ammunition running low, the 2 men started to return to the American lines, alternately providing covering fire for each other as they withdrew. During this movement, Pfc. Reese was killed by enemy fire as he reloaded his rifle. The intrepid team, in 21/2 hours of fierce fighting, killed more than 82 Japanese, completely disorganized their defense and paved the way for subsequent complete defeat of the enemy at this strong point. By his gallant determination in the face of tremendous odds, aggressive fighting spirit, and extreme heroism at the cost of his life, Pfc. Reese materially aided the advance of our troops in Manila and providing a lasting inspiration to all those with whom he served. Korean War *GEORGE, CHARLES Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company C, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Songnae-dong, Korea, 30 November 1952. Entered service at: Whittier, N.C. Born: 23 August 1932, Cherokee, N.C. G.O. NO.: 19, 18 March 1954. Citation: Pfc. George, a member of Company C, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy on the night of 30 November 1952. He was a member of a raiding party committed to engage the enemy and capture a prisoner for interrogation. Forging up the rugged slope of the key terrain feature, the group was subjected to intense mortar and machine gun fire and suffered several casualties. Throughout the advance, he fought valiantly and, upon reaching the crest of the hill, leaped into the trenches and closed with the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. When friendly troops were ordered to move back upon completion of the assignment, he and 2 comrades remained to cover the withdrawal. While in the process of leaving the trenches a hostile soldier hurled a grenade into their midst. Pfc. George shouted a warning to 1 comrade, pushed the other soldier out of danger, and, with full knowledge of the consequences, unhesitatingly threw himself upon the grenade, absorbing the full blast of the explosion. Although seriously wounded in this display of valor, he refrained from any outcry which would divulge the position of his companions. The 2 soldiers evacuated him to the forward aid station and shortly thereafter he succumbed to his wound. Pfc. George's indomitable courage, consummate devotion to duty, and willing self-sacrifice reflect the highest credit upon himself and uphold the finest traditions of the military service. HARVEY, RAYMOND Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company C, 17th Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Vicinity of Taemi-Dong, Korea, 9 March 1951. Entered service at: Pasadena, Calif. Born: 1 March 1920 Ford City, Pa. G.O. No.: 67, 2 August 1951. Citation: Capt. Harvey Company C, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. When his company was pinned down by a barrage of automatic weapons fire from numerous well-entrenched emplacements, imperiling accomplishment of its mission, Capt. Harvey braved a hail of fire and exploding grenades to advance to the first enemy machine gun nest, killing its crew with grenades. Rushing to the edge of the next emplacement, he killed its crew with carbine fire. He then moved the 1st Platoon forward until it was again halted by a curtain of automatic fire from well fortified hostile positions. Disregarding the hail of fire, he personally charged and neutralized a third emplacement. Miraculously escaping death from intense crossfire, Capt. Harvey continued to lead the assault. Spotting an enemy pillbox well camouflaged by logs, he moved close enough to sweep the emplacement with carbine fire and throw grenades through the openings, annihilating its 5 occupants. Though wounded he then turned to order the company forward, and, suffering agonizing pain, he continued to direct the reduction of the remaining hostile positions, refusing evacuation until assured that the mission would be accomplished. Capt. Harvey's valorous and intrepid actions served as an inspiration to his company, reflecting the utmost glory upon himself and upholding the heroic traditions of the military service. *RED CLOUD, MITCHELL, JR. Rank and organization: Corporal, U S. Army, Company E, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Chonghyon, Korea, 5 November 1950. Entered service at: Merrilan Wis. Born: 2 July 1924, Hatfield, Wis. G.O. No.: 26, 25 April 1951. Citation: Cpl. Red Cloud, Company E, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. From his position on the point of a ridge immediately in front of the company command post he was the first to detect the approach of the Chinese Communist forces and give the alarm as the enemy charged from a brush-covered area less than 100 feet from him. Springing up he delivered devastating pointblank automatic rifle fire into the advancing enemy. His accurate and intense fire checked this assault and gained time for the company to consolidate its defense. With utter fearlessness he maintained his firing position until severely wounded by enemy fire. Refusing assistance he pulled himself to his feet and wrapping his arm around a tree continued his deadly fire again, until he was fatally wounded. This heroic act stopped the enemy from overrunning his company's position and gained time for reorganization and evacuation of the wounded. Cpl. Red Cloud's dauntless courage and gallant self-sacrifice reflects the highest credit upon himself and upholds the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army. General References Native American Law Maintained by Georgetown University, this page contains jump-off points to all sorts of information kept by the government about Native Americans, including: American Indian Resources; Bureau of Indian Affairs; Canada-Indian Treaties; Home Pages of Individual Native Nations. Native American Resources on the Internet If you can't find it here, then maybe it doesn't exist. From the Indian Health Services comes this great listing of annotated links to all types of subjects having to do with Native American Indians. Native American Tribes, Culture Areas, and Linguistic Stocks Click on a colored area for exploration. To find specific tribe locations, use the Tribe Finder. Links to information on tribes are identified with black rectangles and tribe names. Contains a map of the US which can be clicked on for various tribes to get an enlarged map and then tribe finder can give you info on the tribe. NativeWeb The content of NativeWeb at the moment is predominantly about the Americas, from the Arctic to Amazonia. Its purpose is to provide a cyber-place for Earth's indigenous peoples. Native American Nations "Contains links to pages that have either been set up by the nations themselves, or are pages devoted to a particular nation, and are alphabetical by tribal name. Included are both recognized and unrecognized tribes." NativeNet NativeNet is designed to promote dialogue and understanding regarding indigenous peoples of all parts of the world. It provides a set of electronic mailing lists and archives and maintains a list of references to relevant information on the Web. Edward S. Curtis Collection Photographs of North American Indians The Curtis images in the Prints and Photographs Division are original photoprints and include examples from each of the regions documented in The North American Indian: the plains, the northern Pacific coast, northern and central California, the western desert, and the central plateau. Photographs of the American West Contains a storehouse of photographs by category of the early American West with annotations for each picture. The Powersource Gallery The Powersource Gallery is a collection of Native American artistic symbols portraying powerful people, powerful places and powerful objects. Index of Native American Resources on the Net Covers Culture, History, Education, Language, Health, Indigenous Knowledge, Art, Archaeology, Electronic Texts, Museums, Legal, Books, Non-Profits, Government, Music , Nations, Other, Video, Commercial, Jobs, Announcements, Home Pages., Bibliographies, Media The Native American Adventure Includes a Live3D Virtual Art Museum, American Indian Action Center, Indigenous Peoples' Literature, and an Artist's Book Preview: Birdman. Official and Unofficial Tribal Sites Native Nations in the U.S. and Canada are recognized (often only after considerable struggles and litigation) as indigenous nations with a measure of sovereignty. It is therefore necessary to distinguish between national websites prepared by or with acknowledgement of and responsibility to, these nations, and unofficial sites about history, culture or current events for a particular tribe. That distinction seems especially important on an educational "metasite" such as this one, whose users range from people totally naive about all of Native history to people deeply involved in actually making that history now. Indigenous Nations of Canada and the U.S. List of links on the WWW to the literature of indigenous nations of Canada and the U.S. New Perspectives on the West The WWW site of the PBS series "The West" from Ken Burns and Stephen Ives. Covers topics concerning the Native Americans of the west. Historical Maps of the United States From the Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection comes this section of their site which contains historical maps of the United States including those for early indian tribes, culture areas, and linguistic stocks. Helps put things in perspective. National Congress of American Indians Indian Nations are sovereign governments, recognized in the U.S. Constitution and hundreds of treaties with the U.S. President. Today, tribal governments provide a broad range of governmental services on tribal lands throughout the U.S., including law enforcement, environmental protection, emergency response, education, health care, and basic infrastructure.

 

            

America's Longest War

The Vietnam War was the longest military conflict in U.S. history. The hostilities in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia claimed the lives of more than 58,000 Americans. Another 304,000 were wounded.

No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War.
It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now.
--Richard M. Nixon, 1985

US troops during the war in Vietnam in 1966. Sunday is the 25th anniversary of the pullout.  (AP file photo)

The Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular war in which Americans ever fought. And there is no reckoning the cost. The toll in suffering, sorrow, in rancorous national turmoil can never be tabulated. No one wants ever to see America so divided again. And for many of the more than two million American veterans of the war, the wounds of Vietnam will never heal. Fifty-eight thousand Americans lost their lives. The losses to the Vietnamese people were appalling. The financial cost to the United States comes to something over $150 billion dollars. Direct American involvement began in 1955 with the arrival of the first advisors. The first combat troops arrived in 1965 and we fought the war until the cease-fire of January 1973. To a whole new generation of young Americans today, it seems a story from the olden times.

History of Vietnam War

Vietnam Veterans Flag

"Let every nation know, whether, it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival of liberty."                                                              -President John F. Kennedy, 1961

U.S. Government White Paper on Vietnam 1965

For those who fight for it, Freedom has a flavor  the protected will never know.   Those who have fought for freedom, and have lost it,  know a sadness and sense a loss beyond bearing. Freedom rings loudest for those denied Freedom. Operation Homecoming

John Wayne in "The Green Berets"

 

Wall of Honor: Their names are engraved on the black granite of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. — as well as on the hearts of those who love them. They are the 58,226 Americans who paid the supreme sacrifice in the service of their country in Southeast Asia. "View the Wall. Zoom in and interactively explore the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall" to see the names of those who gave their lives in defense of the United States of America - We're Proud of You.

Gulf of Tonkin Presidential Address August 7th 1964

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A Brief Moment of Rest

                           

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Citations for the recently departed

Citations for the recently departed 

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Mr. Hendrix passed away on November 14, 2002.

HENDRIX, JAMES R.

Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company C, 53d Armored Infantry Battalion, 4th Armored Division. Place and date: Near Assenois, Belgium, 26 December 1944. Entered service at: Lepanto, Ark. Birth: Lepanto, Ark. G.O. No.: 74, 1 September 1945. Citation: On the night of 26 December 1944, near Assenois, Belgium, he was with the leading element engaged in the final thrust to break through to the besieged garrison at Bastogne when halted by a fierce combination of artillery and small arms fire. He dismounted from his half-track and advanced against two 88mm. guns, and, by the ferocity of his rifle fire, compelled the guncrews to take cover and then to surrender. Later in the attack he again left his vehicle, voluntarily, to aid 2 wounded soldiers, helpless and exposed to intense machinegun fire. Effectively silencing 2 hostile machineguns, he held off the enemy by his own fire until the wounded men were evacuated. Pvt. Hendrix again distinguished himself when he hastened to the aid of still another soldier who was trapped in a burning half-track. Braving enemy sniper fire and exploding mines and ammunition in the vehicle, he extricated the wounded man and extinguished his flaming clothing, thereby saving the life of his fellow soldier. Pvt. Hendrix, by his superb courage and heroism, exemplified the highest traditions of the military service.

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Mr. Rocco passed away on October 31, 2002.

ROCCO, LOUIS R.

Rank and organization: Warrant Officer (then Sergeant First Class), U.S. Army, Advisory Team 162, U.S. Military Assistance Command. Place and date: Northeast of Katum, Republic of Vietnam, 24 May 1970. Entered service at: Los Angeles, Calif. Born: 19 November 1938, Albuquerque, N. Mex. Citation: WO Rocco distinguished himself when he volunteered to accompany a medical evacuation team on an urgent mission to evacuate 8 critically wounded Army of the Republic of Vietnam personnel. As the helicopter approached the landing zone, it became the target for intense enemy automatic weapons fire. Disregarding his own safety, WO Rocco identified and placed accurate suppressive fire on the enemy positions as the aircraft descended toward the landing zone. Sustaining major damage from the enemy fire, the aircraft was forced to crash land, causing WO Rocco to sustain a fractured wrist and hip and a severely bruised back. Ignoring his injuries, he extracted the survivors from the burning wreckage, sustaining burns to his own body. Despite intense enemy fire, WO Rocco carried each unconscious man across approximately 20 meters of exposed terrain to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam perimeter. On each trip, his severely burned hands and broken wrist caused excruciating pain, but the lives of the unconscious crash survivors were more important than his personal discomfort, and he continued his rescue efforts. Once inside the friendly position, WO Rocco helped administer first aid to his wounded comrades until his wounds and burns caused him to collapse and lose consciousness. His bravery under fire and intense devotion to duty were directly responsible for saving 3 of his fellow soldiers from certain death. His unparalleled bravery in the face of enemy fire, his complete disregard for his own pain and injuries, and his performance were far above and beyond the call of duty and were in keeping with the highest traditions of self-sacrifice and courage of the military service.

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Mr. McCleery passed away on July 12, 2002.

McCLEERY, FINNIS D.

Rank and organization: platoon Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th U.S. Infantry. place and date: Quang Tin province, Republic of Vietnam, 14 May 1968. Entered service at: San Angelo, Tex. Born: 25 December 1927, Stephenville, Tex. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. P/Sgt. McCleery, U.S. Army, distinguished himself while serving as platoon leader of the 1st platoon of Company A. A combined force was assigned the mission of assaulting a reinforced company of North Vietnamese Army regulars, well entrenched on Hill 352, 17 miles west of Tam Ky. As P/Sgt. McCleery led his men up the hill and across an open area to close with the enemy, his platoon and other friendly elements were pinned down by tremendously heavy fire coming from the fortified enemy positions. Realizing the severe damage that the enemy could inflict on the combined force in the event that their attack was completely halted, P/Sgt. McCleery rose from his sheltered position and began a 1-man assault on the bunker complex. With extraordinary courage, he moved across 60 meters of open ground as bullets struck all around him and rockets and grenades literally exploded at his feet. As he came within 30 meters of the key enemy bunker, P/Sgt. McCleery began firing furiously from the hip and throwing hand grenades. At this point in his assault, he was painfully wounded by shrapnel, but, with complete disregard for his wound, he continued his advance on the key bunker and killed all of its occupants. Having successfully and single-handedly breached the enemy perimeter, he climbed to the top of the bunker he had just captured and, in full view of the enemy, shouted encouragement to his men to follow his assault. As the friendly forces moved forward, P/Sgt. McCleery began a lateral assault on the enemy bunker line. He continued to expose himself to the intense enemy fire as he moved from bunker to bunker, destroying each in turn. He was wounded a second time by shrapnel as he destroyed and routed the enemy from the hill. P/Sgt. McCleery is personally credited with eliminating several key enemy positions and inspiring the assault that resulted in gaining control of Hill 352. His extraordinary heroism at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, was in keeping with the highest standards of the military service, and reflects great credit on him, the Americal Division, and the U.S. Army.

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Mr. Montgomery passed away on June 11, 2002.

MONTGOMERY, JACK C.

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 45th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near, Padiglione, Italy, 22 February 1944. Entered service at: Sallisaw, Okla. Birth: Long, Okla. G.O. No.: 5, 15 January 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 22 February 1944, near Padiglione, Italy. Two hours before daybreak a strong force of enemy infantry established themselves in 3 echelons at 50 yards, 100 yards, and 300 yards, respectively, in front of the rifle platoons commanded by 1st Lt. Montgomery. The closest position, consisting of 4 machineguns and 1 mortar, threatened the immediate security of the platoon position. Seizing an Ml rifle and several hand grenades, 1st Lt. Montgomery crawled up a ditch to within hand grenade range of the enemy. Then climbing boldly onto a little mound, he fired his rifle and threw his grenades so accurately that he killed 8 of the enemy and captured the remaining 4. Returning to his platoon, he called for artillery fire on a house, in and around which he suspected that the majority of the enemy had entrenched themselves. Arming himself with a carbine, he proceeded along the shallow ditch, as withering fire from the riflemen and machinegunners in the second position was concentrated on him. He attacked this position with such fury that 7 of the enemy surrendered to him, and both machineguns were silenced. Three German dead were found in the vicinity later that morning. 1st Lt. Montgomery continued boldly toward the house, 300 yards from his platoon position. It was now daylight, and the enemy observation was excellent across the flat open terrain which led to 1st Lt. Montgomery's objective. When the artillery barrage had lifted, 1st Lt. Montgomery ran fearlessly toward the strongly defended position. As the enemy started streaming out of the house, 1st Lt. Montgomery, unafraid of treacherous snipers, exposed himself daringly to assemble the surrendering enemy and send them to the rear. His fearless, aggressive, and intrepid actions that morning, accounted for a total of 11 enemy dead, 32 prisoners, and an unknown number of wounded. That night, while aiding an adjacent unit to repulse a counterattack, he was struck by mortar fragments and seriously wounded. The selflessness and courage exhibited by 1st Lt. Montgomery in alone attacking 3 strong enemy positions inspired his men to a degree beyond estimation.

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Mr. Merli passed away on June 11, 2002.

MERLI, GINO J.

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Sars la Bruyere, Belgium, 4-5 September 1944. Entered service at: Peckville, Pa. Birth: Scranton, Pa. G.O. No.: 64, 4 August 1945. Citation: He was serving as a machine gunner in the vicinity of Sars la Bruyere, Belgium, on the night of 45 September 1944, when his company was attacked by a superior German force Its position was overrun and he was surrounded when our troops were driven back by overwhelming numbers and firepower. Disregarding the fury of the enemy fire concentrated on him he maintained his position, covering the withdrawal of our riflemen and breaking the force of the enemy pressure. His assistant machine gunner was killed and the position captured; the other 8 members of the section were forced to surrender. Pfc. Merli slumped down beside the dead assistant gunner and feigned death. No sooner had the enemy group withdrawn then he was up and firing in all directions. Once more his position was taken and the captors found 2 apparently lifeless bodies. Throughout the night Pfc. Merli stayed at his weapon. By daybreak the enemy had suffered heavy losses, and as our troops launched an assault, asked for a truce. Our negotiating party, who accepted the German surrender, found Pfc. Merli still at his gun. On the battlefield lay 52 enemy dead, 19 of whom were directly in front of the gun. Pfc. Merli's gallantry and courage, and the losses and confusion that he caused the enemy, contributed materially to our victory .

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Mr. Barber passed away on April 22, 2002.

BARBER, WILLIAM E.

Rank and organization: Captain U.S. Marine Corps, commanding officer, Company F, 2d Battalion 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Chosin Reservoir area, Korea, 28 November to 2 December 1950. Entered service at: West Liberty, Ky. Born: 30 November 1919, Dehart, Ky. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of Company F in action against enemy aggressor forces. Assigned to defend a 3-mile mountain pass along the division's main supply line and commanding the only route of approach in the march from Yudam-ni to Hagaru-ri, Capt. Barber took position with his battle-weary troops and, before nightfall, had dug in and set up a defense along the frozen, snow-covered hillside. When a force of estimated regimental strength savagely attacked during the night, inflicting heavy casualties and finally surrounding his position following a bitterly fought 7-hour conflict, Capt. Barber, after repulsing the enemy gave assurance that he could hold if supplied by airdrops and requested permission to stand fast when orders were received by radio to fight his way back to a relieving force after 2 reinforcing units had been driven back under fierce resistance in their attempts to reach the isolated troops. Aware that leaving the position would sever contact with the 8,000 marines trapped at Yudam-ni and jeopardize their chances of joining the 3,000 more awaiting their arrival in Hagaru-ri for the continued drive to the sea, he chose to risk loss of his command rather than sacrifice more men if the enemy seized control and forced a renewed battle to regain the position, or abandon his many wounded who were unable to walk. Although severely wounded in the leg in the early morning of the 29th, Capt. Barber continued to maintain personal control, often moving up and down the lines on a stretcher to direct the defense and consistently encouraging and inspiring his men to supreme efforts despite the staggering opposition. Waging desperate battle throughout 5 days and 6 nights of repeated onslaughts launched by the fanatical aggressors, he and his heroic command accounted for approximately 1,000 enemy dead in this epic stand in bitter subzero weather, and when the company was relieved only 82 of his original 220 men were able to walk away from the position so valiantly defended against insuperable odds. His profound faith and courage, great personal valor, and unwavering fortitude were decisive factors in the successful withdrawal of the division from the deathtrap in the Chosin Reservoir sector and reflect the highest credit upon Capt. Barber, his intrepid officers and men, and the U.S. Naval Service.

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Mr. Craft passed away on March 28, 2002.

CRAFT, CLARENCE B.

Rank and organization: Private, First Class, U.S. Army, Company G, 382d Infantry, 96th Infantry Division. Place and date: Hen Hill, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 31 May 1945. Entered service at: Santa Ana, Calif. Birth: San Bernardino, Calif. G.O. No.: 97, 1 November 1945. Citation: He was a rifleman when his platoon spearheaded an attack on Hen Hill, the tactical position on which the entire Naha-Shuri-Yonaburu line of Japanese defense on Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, was hinged. For 12 days our forces had been stalled, and repeated, heavy assaults by 1 battalion and then another had been thrown back by the enemy with serious casualties. With 5 comrades, Pfc. Craft was dispatched in advance of Company G to feel out the enemy resistance. The group had proceeded only a short distance up the slope when rifle and machinegun fire, coupled with a terrific barrage of grenades, wounded 3 and pinned down the others. Against odds that appeared suicidal, Pfc. Craft launched a remarkable 1-man attack. He stood up in full view of the enemy and began shooting with deadly marksmanship wherever he saw a hostile movement. He steadily advanced up the hill, killing Japanese soldiers with rapid fire, driving others to cover in their strongly disposed trenches, unhesitatingly facing alone the strength that had previously beaten back attacks in battalion strength. He reached the crest of the hill, where he stood silhouetted against the sky while quickly throwing grenades at extremely short range into the enemy positions. His extraordinary assault lifted the pressure from his company for the moment, allowing members of his platoon to comply with his motions to advance and pass him more grenades. With a chain of his comrades supplying him while he stood atop the hill, he furiously hurled a total of 2 cases of grenades into a main trench and other positions on the reverse slope of Hen Hill, meanwhile directing the aim of his fellow soldiers who threw grenades from the slope below him. He left his position, where grenades from both sides were passing over his head and bursting on either slope, to attack the main enemy trench as confusion and panic seized the defenders. Straddling the excavation, he pumped rifle fire into the Japanese at pointblank range, killing many and causing the others to flee down the trench. Pursuing them, he came upon a heavy machinegun which was still creating havoc in the American ranks. With rifle fire and a grenade he wiped out this position. By this time the Japanese were in complete rout and American forces were swarming over the hill. Pfc. Craft continued down the central trench to the mouth of a cave where many of the enemy had taken cover. A satchel charge was brought to him, and he tossed it into the cave. It failed to explode. With great daring, the intrepid fighter retrieved the charge from the cave, relighted the fuse and threw it back, sealing up the Japs in a tomb. In the local action, against tremendously superior forces heavily armed with rifles, machineguns, mortars, and grenades, Pfc. Craft killed at least 25 of the enemy; but his contribution to the campaign on Okinawa was of much more far-reaching consequence for Hen Hill was the key to the entire defense line, which rapidly crumbled after his utterly fearless and heroic attack.
 

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Mr. Davila passed away on January 26, 2002.

DAVILA, RUDOLPH B.

Second Lieutenant Rudolph B. Davila distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 28 May 1944, near Artena, Italy.  During the offensive that broke through the German mountain strongholds surrounding the Anzio beachhead, (then) Staff Sergeant Davila risked death to provide heavy weapons support for a beleaguered rifle company.  Caught on an exposed hillside by heavy fire from a well-entrenched enemy force, his machine gunners were reluctant to risk putting their guns into action.  Crawling 50 yards to the nearest machine gun, Staff Sergeant Davila opened fire on the enemy.  In order to observe the effect of his fire, Sergeant Davila fired from the kneeling position ignoring the enemy fire that struck his tripod and passed between his legs.  Ordering a gunner to take over, he crawled forward to a vantage point and directed the firefight with hand and arm signals until both hostile machine guns were silenced.  Bringing his three remaining machine guns into action, he drove the enemy to a reserve position 200 yards to the rear.  When he received a painful wound in the leg, he dashed to a burned tank and, despite the crash of bullets on the hull, engaged a second enemy force from its turret.  Dismounting, he advanced 130 yards in short rushes, crawled 20 yards and charged into an enemy-held house to eliminate the defending force of five with a hand grenade and rifle fire.  Climbing to the attic, he straddled a large shell hole in the wall and opened fire on the enemy.  Although the walls of the house were crumbling, he continued to fire until he had destroyed two more machine guns.  His intrepid actions brought desperately needed heavy weapons support to a hard-pressed rifle company and silenced four machine gunners, forcing the enemy to abandon their prepared positions.  Staff Sergeant Davila's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.

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Mr. Erwin passed away on January 16, 2002.

ERWIN, HENRY E. (Air Mission)

Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 52d Bombardment Squadron, 29th Bombardment Group, 20th Air Force. Place and date: Koriyama, Japan, 12 April 1945. Entered service at: Bessemer, Ala. Born: 8 May 1921, Adamsville, Ala. G.O. No.: 44, 6 June 1945. Citation: He was the radio operator of a B-29 airplane leading a group formation to attack Koriyama, Japan. He was charged with the additional duty of dropping phosphoresce smoke bombs to aid in assembling the group when the launching point was reached. Upon entering the assembly area, aircraft fire and enemy fighter opposition was encountered. Among the phosphoresce bombs launched by S/Sgt. Erwin, 1 proved faulty, exploding in the launching chute, and shot back into the interior of the aircraft, striking him in the face. The burning phosphoresce obliterated his nose and completely blinded him. Smoke filled the plane, obscuring the vision of the pilot. S/Sgt. Erwin realized that the aircraft and crew would be lost if the burning bomb remained in the plane. Without regard for his own safety, he picked it up and feeling his way, instinctively, crawled around the gun turret and headed for the copilot's window. He found the navigator's table obstructing his passage. Grasping the burning bomb between his forearm and body, he unleashed the spring lock and raised the table. Struggling through the narrow passage he stumbled forward into the smoke-filled pilot's compartment. Groping with his burning hands, he located the window and threw the bomb out. Completely aflame, he fell back upon the floor. The smoke cleared, the pilot, at 300 feet, pulled the plane out of its dive. S/Sgt. Erwin's gallantry and heroism above and beyond the call of duty saved the lives of his comrades.

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Mr. Choate passed away on October 5, 2001.

CHOATE, CLYDE L.

Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion. Place and date: Near Bruyeres, France, 25 October 1944. Entered service at: Anna, 111. Born: 28 June 1920, West Frankfurt, 111. G.O. No.: 75, 5 September 1945. Citation: He commanded a tank destroyer near Bruyeres, France, on 25 October 1944. Our infantry occupied a position on a wooded hill when, at dusk, an enemy Mark IV tank and a company of infantry attacked, threatening to overrun the American position and capture a command post 400 yards to the rear. S/Sgt. Choate's tank destroyer, the only weapon available to oppose the German armor, was set afire by 2 hits. Ordering his men to abandon the destroyer, S/Sgt. Choate reached comparative safety. He returned to the burning destroyer to search for comrades possibly trapped in the vehicle risking instant death in an explosion which was imminent and braving enemy fire which ripped his jacket and tore the helmet from his head. Completing the search and seeing the tank and its supporting infantry overrunning our infantry in their shallow foxholes, he secured a bazooka and ran after the tank, dodging from tree to tree and passing through the enemy's loose skirmish line. He fired a rocket from a distance of 20 yards, immobilizing the tank but leaving it able to spray the area with cannon and machinegun fire. Running back to our infantry through vicious fire, he secured another rocket, and, advancing against a hail of machinegun and small-arms fire reached a position 10 yards from the tank. His second shot shattered the turret. With his pistol he killed 2 of the crew as they emerged from the tank; and then running to the crippled Mark IV while enemy infantry sniped at him, he dropped a grenade inside the tank and completed its destruction. With their armor gone, the enemy infantry became disorganized and was driven back. S/Sgt. Choate's great daring in assaulting an enemy tank single-handed, his determination to follow the vehicle after it had passed his position, and his skill and crushing thoroughness in the attack prevented the enemy from capturing a battalion command post and turned a probable defeat into a tactical success.

Types of the Medal of Honor

TYPES OF THE MEDAL OF HONOR 1862 TO PRESENT The Navy medal was the first to be struck, followed quickly by the Army version of this award. There are three different types of Medals of Honor today as seen directly below: the original simple star shape established in 1861 which the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard have retained; a wreath version designed in 1904 for the Army; and an altered wreath version for the Air Force, designed in 1963 and adopted in 1965. The 3 Present Day Variations of the Medal Of Honor ARMY NAVY  AIR FORCE When considering the design of the Medal of Honor there are two factors one must remember: 1)  The Medal of Honor was designed in the early days of the Civil War to represent the valiant efforts of the Union Army, Navy and Marines, and 2)  Over the years as the Medal has become a historic symbol of the bravest of the brave, in respect to all who have earned it, little has been done to change its design. THE ORIGINAL  Navy Medal of Honor The Navy's Medal of Honor was the first approved and the first designed.  The initial work was done by the Philadelphia Mint at the request of Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles.  The Mint submitted several designs for consideration, and the one prepared by the Philadelphia firm of William Wilson & Sons was the design selected. NAVY MEDAL OF HONOR (1862)   For all practical intents and purposes, the Navy Medal of Honor remains the same today as it did when it was born.  The only change has been in the attachment that connects it to the ribbon, and the ribbon itself.  Originally the Navy Medal of Honor was suspended from its red, white and blue ribbon by an anchor wrapped with a length of rope.  The reverse side of the Medal was inscribed with the words "Personal Valor" above an open area in which the recipient's name could be engraved. ARMY  MEDAL OF HONOR (1862)   Struck from the same die as the Navy Medal of Honor, the original Army Medal differed only in the emblem that attached it to the same red, white and blue ribbon as the Navy.  Replacing the anchor was an eagle perched on crossed cannon and clutching a saber in its talons.  Replacing the words "Personal Valor" on the back of the Medal were the words "The Congress To" with an area to engrave the recipient's name. ARMY  MEDAL OF HONOR (1896)   The first change in the Medal of Honor occurred in 1896 and dealt ONLY with the ARMY Medal of Honor.  The change resulted after Congress authorized the wearing of a rosette or ribbon in lieu of the Medal in 1895.  Following this step, Congress provided for replacement ribbons to recipients whose ribbons had deteriorated with age.  In an effort to distinguish the Medal of Honor from awards being produced and distributed by various veterans organizations, the new suspension ribbon was introduced. The change in the design of the ribbon was not enough distinction for the Medal of Honor for many recipients including Civil War hero Brigadier General George Gillespie.  With the full support of Secretary of War Elihu Root at the turn of the century, the idea of a redesigned Army Medal of Honor gained momentum.   One of the leaders in the effort was Horace Porter who had just received the Medal of Honor (July 8, 1902) for his own heroism during the Civil War.  The U.S. Ambassador to France, Porter had a new design prepared by the Paris firm of Messrs. Arthur, Bertrand, and Berenger.  He shared this design with Secretary Root, then sought the approval of the officers of the Medal of Honor Legion.  On April 23, 1904 Congress authorized the new design for the Army Medal of Honor. To protect the new design from being copied as had been the earlier Medal, General Gillespie sought and obtained a patent in November, 1904.  The following month he transferred the patent to Secretary of War William Taft.  Gillespie  MEDAL OF HONOR (1904)   The new Army Medal kept the star but modified the face of the Medal.   The words "United States of America" replaced the ring of 34 stars and "Minerva Repelling Discord" was changed to display a simple profile of the helmeted Goddess of War.  The oak clusters remained in the points of the star, now in a dark enameled green.  The laurel clusters were moved to a wreath where they too were enameled in green, in the shape of an open wreath.  The eagle that had once perched on cannon, saber in its talons, now perched on a bar bearing the words "VALOR" and the shafts of arrows.   The ribbon likewise was changed from its red, white and blue to a single light blue color on which was embroidered thirteen stars.  The reverse of the Medal continued to bear the words "The Congress To", but these words were now printed on the back side of the "VALOR" bar, the full back of the Medal itself unadorned to provide for information on the recipient. NAVY MEDAL OF HONOR (1913)   Since its birth the Navy's Medal of Honor, presented also to members of the Marine Corps and Coast Guard, has not changed.  In 1913 the anchor that connected it to the suspension ribbon was changed slightly when the rope was removed.  At the time of that change the ribbon too changed to the same blue silk ribbon bearing 13 stars that was used with the Army Medal of Honor. Since the Navy awarded Medals of Honor for both COMBAT and NON-COMBAT heroism, in 1919 the Department of the Navy decided to distinguish between the two acts by presenting a different Medal of Honor for each.  The Original Medal would be presented for COMBAT heroism and the new MALTESE CROSS would signify NON-COMBAT heroism meriting the Medal of Honor.  Designed by New York's TIFFANY & COMPANY, it became known as the "Tiffany Cross". TIFFANY CROSS (1919)     The blue silk ribbon of the Maltese Cross hung below a bar bearing the old English spelling for valor, "VALOUR".  The Medal itself featured the American eagle in the center of the award and surrounded by a six sided border over the top of which was printed "UNITED STATES NAVY" AND "1917 - 1918".  An anchor protruded outward from each of the cross's four arms and the back of the medal bore the words "Awarded To" with a place for the recipient's personal information.   The "Tiffany Cross" was not a popular award and is the rarest of all Medals of Honor in existence.  In 1942 it was dropped from the Medal of Honor profile and the Navy returned to its original Medal of Honor as the only design awarded.   Though it was not uncommon for Medals of Honor to continue to be pinned to a soldier's tunic during World War II, the practice of draping it around a recipient's neck became increasingly used.   For this purpose the modern Medal of Honor was suspended from an 8-sided "pad" bearing 13 white stars, to which the blue silk neck ribbon was attached. The Medal of Honor is the only United States Military Award that is worn around the neck rather than pinned to the uniform. AIR FORCE MEDAL OF HONOR (1965)   Authorized in 1956, the Air Force unveiled its own design for the Medal of Honor in 1965.  About 50% larger than the other services' Medals of Honor, it retained the laurel wreath and oak leaves of the Army Medal which had previously been presented to members of the Army Air Service and Air Corps.  It also retained the bar bearing the word "VALOR".  Inside the circle of stars the helmeted profile of Minerva from the Army's medal is replaced by the head of the Statue of Liberty.   Replacing the Army's eagle is the Air Force Coat of Arms.   RIBBON AND ROSETTE On May 2, 1895 Congress authorized "a rosette or knot to be worn in lieu of the medal and a ribbon to be worn with the medal."  Today's Medal of Honor Ribbon is blue with FIVE stars, 2 at the top and 3 at the bottom.  (One of the most common mistakes people make when displaying Medal of Honor graphics is to display the ribbon up-side down.) The six-sided blue silk rosette bears 13 stars and is worn on civilian attire.  Medal of Honor recipients also wear the Medal itself around the neck of civilian attire for special occasions. NOTES: When the patent on the Medal of Honor first obtained by General Gillespie expired in 1918 Congress intervened to protect the Medal's integrity.  In 1923 legislation was enacted to prohibit the unauthorized manufacture of medals awarded by the military services.  Additional legislation since then has taken steps to further protect the awards presented to our military heroes, and the Medal of Honor in particular.   As long as our Nation has veterans of military service there will be "war stories" and embellished tales of battlefield heroics.  Such is the nature of military men.   Sadly, some have stooped to the lowest levels by claiming or displaying medals they are not authorized.  Misrepresentation of ones' self as a Medal of Honor recipient is a CRIME punishable by imprisonment.

The Congerssional medal of Honor Society's History

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society's History

The Congressional Medal Of Honor Society of the United States of America is perhaps the "most exclusive organization" in our country...it is certainly one of the most unique.  Its small membership includes men of all races, social classes and economic levels.  They range in stature from 5'2" to 6'5",   in age from 48 to 90, and they live in all areas of our Country.  Among them are scholars and ordinary men, successful entrepreneurs and struggling laborers, ministers and misfits, very rich to very poor.  No amount of money, power or influence can buy one's rite of passage to this exclusive circle, and unlike almost any other organization, this group's members hope that there will be NO MORE INDUCTEES.  Beyond this attitude towards recruitment, about all they have in common is a passionate love for the United States of America and the distinct honor of wearing our Nation's highest award for military valor, The Medal of Honor. WHY A MEDAL OF HONOR SOCIETY? Just as the Medal of Honor itself has grown and developed since 1862, so to has the society that represents the men who wear it.  It is doubtful that in 1862 anyone thought that the newly created award would achieve the prominence that it did.  By the end of the Civil War only 680 of the total 1520 Medals of Honor ultimately awarded for the conflict, had actually been presented.  In the 35 years following the Civil War another 105 were awarded for Civil War actions as well as almost 500 for other actions including the Indian Campaigns and the Korean action of 1871.   In the last decade of the century aging Civil War veterans began to seek recognition of their prior service and heroism in requesting awards of the Medal.   (From 1890-1900 a total of 683 were awarded....more than were awarded during the war itself.)  The Grand Army of the Republic had also designed and begun presenting awards of its own (some of which looked very similar in design) to military veterans, and confusion arose as to WHO was truly a Medal of Honor recipient.  Added to that were the imposters...sorry individuals who passed themselves off as war heroes to feed their own egos.  Thus it was that on April 23, 1890 the MEDAL OF HONOR LEGION was formed by the true recipients themselves in order to protect the integrity of the Medal.  A large purpose of this early forerunner of today's Medal of Honor Society was legislative...lobbying for necessary changes to protect the integrity of the Medal of Honor.  The efforts of the Medal of Honor Legion led to many changes including the review of 1917 and establishment of the Pyramid of Honor providing awards other than the Medal of Honor distinguished actions that did not merit the Medal of Honor.   Accordingly, on April 27, 1916 the United States Congress directed that an HONOR ROLL be established listing the names of any veteran over age 65 who had served in any war and received the Medal of Honor.  This was to be maintained by the War Department for the Army and by the Navy Department for sailors and Marines, primarily for the express purpose of validating war veterans applications for the special $10 per month pension paid to Medal of Honor recipients over age 65.  (39 Stat. 53) By 1940 the number of living Medal of Honor recipients had dropped to 279, most of them older veterans.  The last Civil War recipient had died just two years earlier.  World War II focused new attention upon Medal of Honor heroes, many of them coming home to active roles as "celebrities" promoting war bond drives.   The impact of World War II on the Medal of Honor was perhaps as dramatic as the changes of 1917: Propelling the Medal to increased prominence and recognition in American Society, Providing the Nation with a group of new young war heroes.  Though more than half the men who received Medals of Honor during World War II died in their moment of valor, 190 living heroes were added to the Medal of Honor Roll. This new prestige attached to the Medal along with the fresh group of war heroes, many of whom were the subject of books and movies, led to the creation in 1946 of the MEDAL OF HONOR SOCIETY.  Less political than its predecessor, the organization became more concerned with perpetuating the ideals embodied in the Medal...promoting patriotism and fostering a love of Country in the aftermath of World War II. On August 5, 1958 President Dwight Eisenhower signed legislation sent to him by Congress  chartering the CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR SOCIETY.  The purposes of the organization were clearly spelled out in its charter (which can be found in Title 36 U.S.C., Chapter 33).  They included: Creation of a bond of brotherhood and comradeship among all living recipients of the Medal of Honor. Maintaining the memory and respect for those who had died receiving the Medal of Honor, as well as those living recipients who had since died. Protection and preservation of the dignity and honor of the Medal of Honor at all times and on all occasions. Protecting the name of the Medal of Honor as well as individual Medal of Honor recipients from exploitation. Providing assistance and aid to needy Medal of Honor recipients, their spouses or widows, and their children. Promoting patriotism and allegiance to the Government and Constitution of the United States. To serve the United States in peace or war. To promote and perpetuate the principles upon which our nation is founded. To foster patriotism and inspire and stimulate our youth to become worthy citizens of our country. The Korean War (1950-53) had done little to increase the number of living Medal recipients, of 131 Medal of Honor actions only 37 men survived to join the exclusive CMOH Society.  Meanwhile (in 1953) the last hero of the Indian Campaigns died followed by   many of the other older heroes of wars past.  By the time Roger Donlon earned the first Medal of Honor of the Vietnam War in 1964 the numbers in the Society had dropped to less than 270 living heroes.  The Vietnam war pushed the numbers back over the 300 mark and brought with it some new challenges for the Society. Imagine first of all what it must be like to take a boy fresh out of high school, put him in uniform and send him off to war to witness unspeakable violence and death in one moment, then clean him up and make him the honored guest at the White House where the President himself presents him our Nation's highest honor.  Compound the "culture shock" by returning that young hero to a society that really didn't appreciate his actions and even opposed the war he had served in, and you've got the makings for some serious problems.  Thus the Vietnam War presented the older members of the Society with a new mission...mentoring, counseling and becoming "big brothers" to a new group of heroes.  It was a needed service for the young heroes and generated a further bond among the men of this select group.   As they became more and more personally involved in the lives of each other they began to meet each year for special reunions.  It was during these reunions they began to also recognize their own heroes, presenting their newly created (1968) National Patriots Award to the likes of Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, and others. Today the number of living Medal of Honor recipients is at its lowest point in history... only 150 living recipients as of October 14, 1999.  Of these few remaining heroes, 104 are over the age of 65.  Thus has passed to the Medal of Honor Society a new challenge, struggling to maintain a heritage that is quickly vanishing.  Members of the Society now meet for an ANNUAL reunion and attempt as well to have smaller get-togethers from time to time.  While each of these men is quick to point out that, since the Medal can only be received for WAR-TIME heroism, they hope that there will be no new members of the Society; we as Americans are rapidly loosing some of our greatest heroes and role models.  Thanks to the Medal of Honor Society however, their memory will never be lost to future generations.