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President Obama, at recent campaign stops, has pointed out that his hair is now getting gray, a sign of how he has aged and the toll taken by his job. But on Thursday, the president had a different kind of senior moment. Speaking at Ft. Drum in upstate New York, Obama thanked troops from the 10th Mountain Division for their deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. To hammer home his point, he told a story of awarding the Medal of Honor to a living member of the division. Obama, however, misspoke. he did award the medal, but posthumously.

CHICAGO — It was years in the making, so Staff Sgt. Sal Giunta had time to talk with his wife about the "what if" question. He'd been recommended for the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration. If chosen, his name would be in headlines. His face in the spotlight. He'd be a celebrity. And again and again, he'd have to tell strangers the harrowing story of a deadly ambush in Afghanistan. "He was worried," says Giunta's wife, Jenny. "He didn't know how he was going able to talk to people about it. He couldn't even talk to me....

FORT LEWIS, Wa. — Mark Zuckerberg is a name I grew quite familiar with even through my year in Kandahar. Facebook was the novelty through which I interacted with most of the world back home. Though it was accessible only on our trips to the forward operating base — no connectivity on our stranded outpost in the Zhari District. Despite all that Facebook meant to me while at war, I was less than thrilled to find that Mr. Zuckerberg had been named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. The distinguished title goes to the man or woman deemed to have...

Three years ago and half a world away, on a cold, treacherous mountainside in Afghanistan, a young man, wearing the uniform of the U.S. Army, challenged a hailstorm of bullets in order to save his fellow soldiers. On November 16, President Obama, during a ceremony at the White House, awarded Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and great personal bravery in combat. Giunta, who is now 25, was 18 and working nights at a fast-food Subway store in Hiawatha, Iowa when he responded to a recruiting ad and decided to join the Army....

  MIDLAND, Texas — A decade ago, I was hunting not far from here with my now-departed friend Joe Foss, the World War II Marine fighter ace and Medal of Honor recipient. I made an impatient long-range shot at a fast-moving deer — and missed the target. Joe shook his head, looked at me and said, "What were you thinking?"Joe's challenge came to mind repeatedly this week during interviews about my new book, "American Heroes in Special Operations." Almost invariably, young reporters asked a question or two about the best-selling book and then shifted to queries about events during...

On October 6, President Barack Obama will award Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller, U.S. Army, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. Staff Sergeant Miller will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic actions in Afghanistan on January 25, 2008. He displayed immeasurable courage and uncommon valor - eventually sacrificing his own life to save the lives of his teammates and 15 Afghanistan National Army soldiers. Staff Sergeant Miller’s parents, Phil and Maureen Miller will join the President at the White House to commemorate their son’s selfless service and sacrifice. PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Robert Miller was born on October...

Thursday, President Obama spoke with Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta to inform him that he will be awarded the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry at the risk of his life that went above and beyond the call of duty. Giunta will be the first living servicemember to be awarded the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq or Afghanistan. The President thanked Sergeant Giunta for his service and extraordinary bravery in battle. Further information about the date and time of the ceremony will be released at a later date. ACTION FROM WHICH THE MEDAL OF HONOR WAS EARNED: Then-Spc....

DES MOINES, Iowa – A 25-year-old soldier from Iowa who exposed himself to enemy gunfire to try to save two fellow soldiers will become the first living service member from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to receive the Medal of Honor, the White House announced Friday. President Barack Obama phoned Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, on Thursday at the base in Italy where he's stationed to tell him he'd be receiving the nation's highest military honor, Giunta's father told The Associated Press. He will become the eighth service member to receive the Medal of Honor during operations in Iraq...