Sal Giunta

The Medal of Honor is the highest aware that can be given to a soldier in the United States Military. It is an award that goes to people that risk their lives to save others in the most gallant of ways. The award is given to the soldier by the President, usually in an awards ceremony conducted at the White House. There are countless stories of Medal of Honor winners, and the actions that they have taken. Citations range from flying a helicopter into enemy fire to bring supplies to troops in contact and evacuate injured (Bruce Crandall, Vietnam), to taking over an enemy tank and using the .50 calibre gun to hold off an entire german company for over an hour, while injured, to allow his fellow soldiers to escape (Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier in U.S. history, WW2).

Today we will look at the actions taken by someone from a little closer to home. Salvitore Giunta, U.S. Army, is from Hiawatha, Iowa, which is just outside of Cedar Rapids. In 2007, Sal took action in a battle that resulted in him winning the Medal of Honor. He was the first living person to be awarded the Medal of Honor since Vietnam (others had been awarded the honor, but had died as a result of their actions, so their families accepted the honor). Below are three videos that I would like you to read. The first, is the actual commendation ceremony where the President awards Sal

Below are some articles that might be interesting to you. Take a look at the winners from Iowa and see if you recognize any town. It tells where they are from, and if you click on the blue links, it will give you information on what the person did to earn the Honor.

WIKIPEDIA PAGE OF ALONZO CUSHING, THE WISCONSIN GUY THAT FOUGHT AT GETTYSBURG

The Medal of Honor Winners from Iowa