Obama awards Medal of Honor to sergeant
In the East Room of the White House, President Barack Obama awards U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. (Nov. 16, 2010) Credit: Getty Images
An Army staff sergeant who stepped into the line of fire to help a pair of comrades on the Afghan battlefield has been given a Medal of Honor, the nation’s top military award.
President Barack Obama awarded the medal to Salvatore Giunta Tuesday. That makes the 25-year-old Iowan the first living service member from the Iraq or Afghanistan wars to be so honored. Seven others have received the award posthumously.
Obama called Giunta a solider who is "as humble as he is heroic" and said the ceremony was a "joyous occasion."
The Army says Giunta was a rifle team leader in eastern Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley when his squad was split in two after an ambush by insurgents. While under fire, Giunta pulled a fellow soldier to cover and rescued another who was being dragged away by the enemy.
Dangerous heat ... America 250: Manor of St. George ... Mets report card at All-Star break ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
Dangerous heat ... America 250: Manor of St. George ... Mets report card at All-Star break ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
