Obama awards Medal of Honor to 24 veterans, cites 'unimaginable' valor

[Omaha Steve]

Source: LA Times

By Richard Simon

WASHINGTON - It took decades, congressional legislation and a review of thousands of war records, but two dozen veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam received the Medal of Honor on Tuesday from President Obama at an emotional White House ceremony.

"As one family member has said, this is long overdue," Obama told the single largest group of Medal of Honor recipients since 1945.

The presentation came after Congress in a 2002 defense bill ordered a review of thousands of war records to determine whether Latino and Jewish veterans were denied the nation’s highest military decoration because of discrimination.

"I’m busting with pride," said Charles Baldonado, 77, whose brother Joe R. Baldonado was among those honored posthumously. Joe Baldonado, who was from Los Angeles, died at age 20 during a battle in Korea where he used a machine gun to drive back enemy troops as grenades exploded around him. Eventually, he was killed by one.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-medal-of-honor-obama-20140318,0,1728129.story#ixzz2wN1dfaNw

FULL story at link.



Read more: http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-medal-of-honor-obama-20140318,0,1728129.story#axzz2wN10bQH0

[daybranch]

1. While this is long overdue,and probably well deserved in most cases, it saddens me.

It is not unimaginable. I have heard or seen nothing that indicates these MOH recipients did any more than others before them.
President Obama like many young people approach this subject with a closed mind, believing that somehow minorities have to do more to get the MOH. They forget that the prior recipients were pjhenomenal and in a desire to create pride in remedying injustice, they reduce the value and the bravery of others that won the MOH before. After reading the rationale for the MOH from individual citations, Ihave heard nothing indicating these men did unimaginable feats of bravery. To imply they did id just unfair to others who received the MOH and understates their brave deeds.

[daybranch]

2. While this is long overdue,and probably well deserved in most cases, it saddens me.

It is not unimaginable. I have heard or seen nothing that indicates these MOH recipients did any more than others before them.
President Obama like many young people approach this subject with a closed mind, believing that somehow minorities have to do more to get the MOH. They forget that the prior recipients were phenomenal and in a desire to create pride in remedying injustice, they reduce the value and the bravery of others that won the MOH before. After reading the rationale for the MOH from individual citations, Ihave heard nothing indicating these men did unimaginable feats of bravery. To imply they did is just unfair to others who received the MOH and understates their brave deeds. You do not have to take honor from one to give to another. Each should stand on its own merit.
Go to the Hall of Heroes and read the citations for yourself. You will be very proud that such brve men fought and usually died for other men and or their country. Much is said by Teapartiers of whether the President is a true American or not. I will guarantee that everyone who reads the citations will be more of an American after they read them than before. It saddens me, that our President used words like unimaginable because I recognize with sadness how little he and most Americans really understand their heroes. I know so many say their teachers or their parents are their heroes, and I can appreciate this, but it just ain't the same as those who fought so bravely for our country. I know that we often dilute the word hero and even now believe genuine heroes are unimaginable but America has had many many courageous heroes who did things that let us all imagine what courageous things are possible if we just try to learn.
-Just the ramblings of an old Vietnam combat veteran

[4bucksagallon]

3. Do you have a link to the citation? They are not available on the Hall of Heroes website.

"I have heard nothing indicating these men did unimaginable feats of bravery."

They don't even have the citations for the MOH winner available yet.
http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/valor24/recipients/morris/?f=recipient_list
Take a look at this page and you will see he was awarded the DSC but if you click on the MOH award tab it says.

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor citation will be available after the White House ceremony.
I picked several at random and they all said the same.

I have seen no indication these men did not deserve the award.