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ARMY SFC PAUL RAY SMITH
Iraq War
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MARINE CPL JASON L. DUNHAM
Iraq War
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NAVY LT MICHAEL P. MURPHY
Afghanistan War
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NAVY MA2 MICHAEL A. MONSOOR
Iraq War
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ARMY PFC ROSS A. MCGINNIS
Iraq War
Posted on 05/26/2008 6:10:10 PM PDT by The_Republican
Recipients of the Medal of Honor are the bravest of the brave, the truest of America’s heroes.
Last Friday at the start of this “holiday” weekend, the White House announced the name of the newest Medal of Honor recipient - the fourth for service during the Iraq War. All four medals and one for service in Afghanistan have been awarded posthumously.
To read the stories of these men - not just stories of their bravery and of how they died, but of how they lived - is to find convincing evidence that this nation has indeed produced yet another “greatest generation.”
But there is one huge difference this time around. The brave men and women who are fighting and dying today in the service of our nation are part of an all-volunteer military. They have chosen this difficult path.
Today we honor them all. But today especially we bring you the names and the stories of these very special young men who have most recently been awarded the nation’s highest military honor for their bravery.
Army Pfc. Ross McGinnis, 19, of Knox, Pa., will be remembered with the Medal of Honor on June 2. On Dec. 4, 2006, he was in the gunner’s hatch of a Humvee. A grenade flew past him and landed inside the truck occupied by four other soldiers. He shouted a warning, then hurled himself on the grenade which blew up and killed him. His fellow soldiers all survived.
Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor, 25, of Garden Grove, Calif., had already won a Silver Star in the spring of 2006 during a tour of duty in Ramadi when he ran through enemy fire to pull a wounded SEAL to safety. On April 8, President Bush presented the Medal of Honor to his parents, Sally and George Monsoor, for their son’s final act of heroism. On Sept. 29, 2006, Monsoor, two other SEALs and members of the Iraqi Army were providing sniper cover on a Ramadi rooftop. An insurgent’s grenade hit Monsoor in the chest, then landed at his feet. He fell on the grenade as it exploded, saving the lives of everyone else on that rooftop.
Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, 22, of Scio, N.Y., was on a reconnaissance mission April 14, 2004, in Karabilah when he and his squad came under enemy fire. Spotting a line-up of Iraqi vehicles trying to leave the area, he ordered them to halt and his team to search for weapons. As they approached, one insurgent attacked Dunham. As two fellow Marines ran to help, the insurgent dropped a grenade. Dunham covered it with his helmet and his body. He died eight days later at Bethesda Naval Hospital. His fellow Marines were wounded but survived.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, 33, of Tampa, Fla., had been a veteran of the first Gulf War, military action in Bosnia and Kosovo before being deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On April 4, 2003, while engaged with his task force in building a prisoner of war holding area at Baghdad International Airport they came under attack by a “company-sized enemy force.” According to his citation he “moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force.” Smith was mortally wounded but he saved dozens of lives and allowed the evacuation of numerous wounded soldiers.
The nation has awarded one Medal of Honor for service in Afghanistan and, once again, it was awarded posthumously. This one went to Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed June 28, 2005, during a reconnaissance mission, Operation Red Wing. Murphy was leading a four-man team on the hunt for a key Taliban leader in the mountainous region near Asadabad when they came under enemy fire. He left a position of cover to get a signal through to headquarters for support. In doing so he exposed himself to enemy fire, later dying of his wounds but saving the lives of his team.
There are countless stories of bravery, of acts of heroism and of kindness too - for these are wars unlike any other. Today we remember all of those who gave their lives. We honor their sacrifice and hope we can prove ourselves to be worthy of it.
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Such fine men, dedicated and selfless-
I hope SOMEDAY those oppressed in Iraq and Afghanistan realize what such men have given them, or should I say, OFFERED them.
God has been so good to our republic. I thank Him for such wonderful and good men as these, and countless others.
Lest we forget...
....Remember these names.
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