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[murphy]

[Opossum]

Really cool Murphy, BUT...ya don't WIN the Medal of Honor.

[Twolanerider]

Really cool Murphy, BUT...ya don't WIN the Medal of Honor.

Hardly a time or a ceremony over which to pick semantic nits.  It looked like there were 8-10 Medal recipients in the room.  They used to have gatherings every two years but as age descended more heavily on the class that changed to meeting annually a few years ago.  

Aside from their annual meetings that group in the White House is probably the largest collection of recipients to have met for a long time.  Last I had reason to check there were only 86 recipients still living.  So perhaps 87 now.  An Army veteran named Fitzmaurice has been the youngest of the cadre for a long time.  He's probably 60 or 61 now.  It's a long walk to get from that soldier to the 25 year old just awarded.

[murphy]

Really cool Murphy, BUT...ya don't WIN the Medal of Honor.

You are absolutely right... I blame my ignorance on being north of the border!

The title has been modified accordingly.

[Opossum]

Hardly a time or a ceremony over which to pick semantic nits.  It looked like there were 8-10 Medal recipients in the room.  They used to have gatherings every two years but as age descended more heavily on the class that changed to meeting annually a few years ago.  

Aside from their annual meetings that group in the White House is probably the largest collection of recipients to have met for a long time.  Last I had reason to check there were only 86 recipients still living.  So perhaps 87 now.  An Army veteran named Fitzmaurice has been the youngest of the cadre for a long time.  He's probably 60 or 61 now.  It's a long walk to get from that soldier to the 25 year old just awarded.

Not nit pickin...just sayin.   I made that grave mistake in conversation a long time back at a parade in ear shot of a Medal of Honor recepiant...he was kind enough to take me aside and and explain.   That's alll I meant.

[Hugh Janis]

What an amazing story.  Congratulations Sgt. Giunta. 

[porthole]

This story got a little 1.5" blurb about 15 pages in of our newspaper.

Priorities


Never get tired of watching the ceremonies. Just don't understand why the networks can't take out a few minutes to at least broadcast the citation.

[Twolanerider]

Not nit pickin...just sayin.   I made that grave mistake in conversation a long time back at a parade in ear shot of a Medal of Honor recepiant...he was kind enough to take me aside and and explain.   That's alll I meant.

Understood and my apologies.  What you describe is a not unexpected conversation.  If one listens to the oral histories and other stories that have been collected from the CMoH veterans they are almost to a man and a voice the same.  Saying in many ways the same thing; that they were no more worthy than those around them.  So the notion of something "won" might be far more than a nit to those men.

It's sad that circumstances existed that allowed someone to again be presented the Medal.  But they do.  And they will.  It's been good to see the last several years as there seemed to be a political push from the Hill for a living recipient that the review process itself didn't seem to become politicized.  The young NCO seems a worthy companion to his Society members.

[Opossum]

Truly a most humbling experiance to be able to shake the hand of a hero.  I'll never forget.

[AXIL]

    it is sad that so few know the meaning of this .

[timtoolman]

 There is any political push for a new living recipient  at all it doesn't work that way,  in earning this award he just didnt die  as most do ,  the award is investigation process is started by his fellow soldiers and chain of command and it goes up from there to pentagon, to sec of army,  and then sec of defense  and president for presentation.  never any political issues,  ive  only  met  2 live ones  while on 21 yrs of active duty,  it comes  tremendous responsibilities and benefits,  actually  the correct term is " Medal Of Honor"   congressional  is sometimes added but it is incorrect

[Twolanerider]

There is any political push for a new living recipient  at all it doesn't work that way,  in earning this award he just didnt die  as most do ,  the award is investigation process is started by his fellow soldiers and chain of command and it goes up from there to pentagon, to sec of army,  and then sec of defense  and president for presentation.  never any political issues,  ive  only  met  2 live ones  while on 21 yrs of active duty,  it comes  tremendous responsibilities and benefits,  actually  the correct term is " Medal Of Honor"   congressional  is sometimes added but it is incorrect

The Award was created by Congress and has been altered a bit over the years by Congressional action.  The name of the Award itself and the more generic (but longer) CMoH have been used interchangeably almost since the Award's inception in 1861.  Prior to that had just been various Certificates of Merit for heroism that were awards that came and went with different conflicts and wars in the Service's histories.

Another bit of (admittedly unimportant) confusion is that the recipients of the Medal of Honor are members of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society (CMoHS).  That name comes, well..., because Congress created the organization.

Also, while there isn't real politicization to the review process now that hasn't always been the case.  During the Civil War the Award was granted much more easily.  Review process was significantly tightened up antebellum.   

That's history haven't had to write on or review for quite some time.  Meeting some of the men (there was one woman MoH recipient too) was always most struck by the continuity of their humility.  The respect that goes to the Award recipients is almost every bit as universal though.  Young troops that were generations removed from living MoH recipients always reacted to those recipients as if they were rock stars.  And rightly so.

[timtoolman]

the award was created in Dec 09, 1861 by  senator grimes Bill #82 and signed into law by Lincoln on dec 21 of the same year as a award for the U.S. NAVY and  marines  not by congress as a 21 yr Navy Senior Chief (E-8)  i was  required to know Navy history  then Feb 26 1862  the Army bill was introduced and some words and phrases  were changed or added by various member of congress and that bill was signed by the president  July 12 1862.  ive been the the hall of heros at the pentagon many times and it is "The Medal Of Honor

[Twolanerider]

the award was created in Dec 09, 1861 by  senator grimes Bill

Tim, you're splitting hairs that aren't there.  A Senator is a Member of Congress.  Senate is the upper house of the Congress while House of Representatives is the lower house. 

Bills come from either house, meet in a committee of the two and are sent to the President for signature in to law.  It can't come from just the Senate or just the House to become a law. 

Legislation creating the Medal of Honor did not come from solely the Senate.  Could not have and become a law or got legislative funding.  It was Congressional action with Bills both in the house and the Senate that went to the White House for President Lincoln's signature.

[Twolanerider]

Urggg....


Just read a PM saying unkind things about this conversation (someone was quick).  Didn't mean this to become a long exegesis as the topic is greater than any of us. 

Tim is not wrong.  Though perhaps incomplete.  And it's not a big deal.  The first Award in 1861 was originally sponsored by an Iowa Senator.  There was then a companion Bill in the House of Representatives.  That bill went to the President. 

An interesting note; General Winfield Scott didn't like the idea of the Award.

Next year another Senator (from Massachusetts if I remember right) sponsored a Bill creating an Army specific Award.  Followed as such things are by a companion Bill in the House.  Final Bill on to the President.

Then in 1863 another law went through the same process that basically united the 1861 and 1862 legislation to create what we now know as the Medal of Honor.  I'm out of this conversation now.  The PM I read was unnecessary and turned my stomach a bit.  Whether someone agrees with Tim (or me) or not is irrelevant to the topic at hand here.  And that topic is larger than all of us.