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For decades, young midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy have walked by “Ripley at the Bridge,” a dramatic diorama within the Memorial Hall foyer in Bancroft Hall featuring Marine Capt. John Ripley dangling from a girder over the Cua Viet River.On Thursday, 54 years after his actions in Vietnam that made him an iconic military hero and 18 years after his death in 2008, Ripley was posthumously presented with the Medal of Honor at the White House. Previously awarded the Navy Cross, Ripley’s upgrade to the military’s highest honor was approved by Congress in March, but was awaiting signoff by...

Eric Daugherty@EricLDaugh·7h🚨 WOW! Major Capers just went maximum selfless patriot mode after President Trump gave him the Medal of Honor"I can't say I'm happy to be here because this award belongs to a lot of young men who followed me and died in battlefields around this world for a country that we honor this flag.""There's no real satisfaction in getting a medal when I've lost so much.""We're one unit. When one falls, somebody else has to replace that one, that person who fell.""I feel honored to have the support that I find today. I'm honored. And I give gratitude to...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On June 18, President Donald J. Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to Maj. James Capers Jr., U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), and posthumously to Col. John W. Ripley, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), during a White House ceremony. On June 19, both Marines will be inducted into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes, in recognition of their extraordinary heroism and distinguished service during the Vietnam War. "Maj. James Capers Jr. and Col. John Ripley are Marine Corps legends whose heroic actions in Vietnam represent the very best of our Corps," said Gen. Eric Smith, Commandant of the Marine Corps....

Korean War hero Royce Williams is being awarded the Medal of Honor, and his actions are something not even Hollywood could have dreamed up. Congressman Darrell Issa announced on Wednesday that President Donald Trump officially informed Williams of his MoH. The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest military award. It is only awarded for actions so heroic that oftentimes, the person earning it is killed. Williams is still with us in 2026, and his once-secret actions are now out in the public. Buckle up for one of the most insane war stories you'll ever hear.

On January 26, 1945, Audie Murphy and some 40 U.S. troops sat shivering in a frigid, snow-covered clearing near the Alsatian town of Holtzwihr. The battle-weary soldiers had been ordered to hold a vital roadway until reinforcements arrived, but the operation was delayed and the promised relief was nowhere to be seen. Just after 2 p.m., the winter stillness was suddenly broken by the thunderclap of an enemy artillery barrage. In the distance, some 250 German troops and six tanks emerged from the woods. As he watched the Germans line up for an attack, Murphy felt a wave of panic...

By the time Ed W. Freeman was deployed to Vietnam in 1965, he was already an experienced helicopter pilot and was appointed second-in-command of a unit of 16 helicopters. He served as a captain in Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Captain Freeman’s bravery on November 14, 1965, distinguished him with numerous acts of conspicuous gallantry.

Hershel 'Woody' Williams is 17 years old and lives on a dairy farm in Quiet Dell, West Virginia, with his mother and 11 siblings. War is coming; one, he is sure, that will take away America's freedoms and privileges. Marines wear snappy blue uniforms around town and Woody is impressed. If he's going to war, he's going as a Marine. But, at 17, he needs his mother's signature to enlist. Mom refuses to sign the papers. He turns 18 next October - if he wants to be a Marine, he's going to have to wait. December 7, 1941: Japan attacks...

Hamas is privately admitting that 80% of the Palestinians killed during the year-long war in Gaza are Hamas members or their families, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Sunday. The report comes as most of the international media continue to use unverified Hamas casualty figures, which do not differentiate between combatants and civilians and which statisticians have previously called into question. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than ... Palestinians have been killed in the war, which was sparked by the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 massacre one year ago today. Israel has previously estimated that 17,000 combatants have been...

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has ordered the Department of Defense to review the Medal of Honor awarded to 20 soldiers for their actions in the Wounded Knee Massacre that took place in 1890.Austin wrote in a memo, “The [special review panel] may consider the context of the overall engagement as appropriate, including as necessary to understand each [Wounded Knee Creek Medal of Honor] recipient’s individual actions.”In a separate statement, a senior defense official shared, “It’s never too late to do what’s right.”The official added, “And that’s what is intended by the review that the secretary directed, which is...

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has directed the Defense Department to review the Medals of Honor awarded to approximately 20 soldiers for their actions during the December 1890 engagement at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota, to ensure no awardees were recognized for conduct inconsistent with the nation's highest military honor. DOD's Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness will convene a special review panel to conduct an individualized assessment based on standards in effect during that period. The scope of the panel's review is limited to examining each Medal of Honor awardee' s individual actions...

Our Troops Rock! Thank you for all you do! For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today! ~ Hall of Heroes ~ Surprising Facts About The Medal of Honor Info from here. On July 25, 1862, the Medal of Honor was created. Citations for Medal of Honor recipients describe feats of courage, strength, and resilience. Recipients overcame the paralysis of fear, and in some cases, they persevered in spite of wounds that would normally be so painful as...

Our Troops Rock! Thank you for all you do! For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today! ~ Hall of Heroes ~ MAJ Louis CukelaInfo from this website. Born at Sabenes, Austria, on May 1, 1888, he is a double recipient of the Medal of Honor, one by the Army and one by the Navy for the same action in World War I. He was serving at the time as Sergeant, 66th Company, 5th Marine Regiment at Villers-Cotterets,...

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday claimed that President Joe Biden left a Medal of Honor recipient’s ceremony early yesterday in order to “minimize his close contact with attendees.” Biden’s early departure from the ceremony puzzled viewers, as it is not typical for a president to do so. The Tuesday ceremony was to honor 81-year-old Army Captain Larry L. Taylor, a Vietnam veteran, for conspicuous gallantry while serving as a team leader of a helicopter light-fire team that rescued a patrol team surrounded by the enemy.

Marine 1st Lt. Harvey “Barney” Barnum jumped to the ground when he came under fire during an ambush in Vietnam that killed his radio operator and commander. Collecting himself, Barnum realized he was now the highest-ranking officer of a rifle company he’d just joined. He called in artillery and, amid gunfire, dragged the commander to safety, where he died in Barnum’s arms. Then he proceeded to mount a counterattack, oversee evacuation of the wounded and lead the unit’s eventual break out to rejoin the battalion. To launch a counterattack, he brandished a .45-caliber handgun and told the others to follow...

Our Troops Rock! Thank you for all you do! For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today! ~ Hall of Heroes ~Master Sergeant Roy BenavidezInfo and photos from this website. As the medevac chopper landed the wounded were examined one by one. Staff Sergeant Benavidez could only hear what was going on around him. He had over thirty seven puncture wounds. His intestines were exposed. He could not see as his eyes were caked in blood and unable...

Perhaps it was the way he carried himself in an unassuming and humble manner, but day after day hundreds of Air Force Academy cadets would pass this janitor in the hall oblivious to the greatness that was among them. In the mid-1970s, William Crawford might spend one day sweeping the halls and another cleaning the bathrooms, but it was a day approximately 30 years prior that would create for him a special place in the history of war. In 1943 in Italy, the only thing Private William Crawford was cleaning out was German machine gun nest and bunkers.

A young Army Corporal waited nervously for the guards to arrive. He looked around the prison where he had been held for over two years and was relieved about the prospect of finally returning home to his family. Corporal Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura welcomed the sight of his Communist captors for the first time since he was put there. Now, he would be turned over to American officials. Still, the young Japanese-American soldier was restless, as he believed he would be court-martialed for his failure at Taejon-ni in Seoul. While there, the Chinese Communists had flooded his unit’s defensive positions and...

Israeli researchers found some side effects that occurred after COVID-19 vaccination were caused by Pfizer’s vaccine, according to a leaked video.The Israeli Ministry of Health (MoH) commissioned researchers to analyze adverse event reports submitted by Israelis and the researchers presented findings from the new surveillance system in an internal June 2022 meeting, video of which was obtained by an Israeli journalist.Researchers said that the phenomenon of rechallenge—when adverse events reoccur or worsen following additional vaccine doses—proved that some of the events were caused by the vaccine.A positive rechallenge was reported in 10 percent of the women who complained of menstrual...

President Biden awarded the Medal of honor to four U.S. soldiers today. Advertisement One of the men, Major John J. Duffy, is a Santa Cruz resident. Duffy was awarded the Medal of Honor for acts above and beyond the call of duty for his service in Vietnam. He was wounded several times and refused to evacuate a command post that had been destroyed. Duffy called in airstrikes, led evacuees out, and saved an allied soldier from falling out of a helicopter. "Upon reaching the exfiltration sight, Major Duffy again made sure he was the last to board the helicopter. And...

Medal of Honor Recipient and World War II Veteran Hershel “Woody” Williams, passed away this morning at the age of 98.