March 25th is National Medal of Honor Day

[army judge]

Jurisdiction

US Federal Law

"
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty." So begins the official citation of every Medal of Honor when it's awarded to a recipient by the president of the United States and presented in the name of the United States Congress.

Since its inception during the Civil War, 3,517 Americans have received our nation's highest military award for valor.

Today, only 63 of these selfless patriots remain with us.

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March 25 was established as National Medal of Honor Day by Congress in 1990 and we have observed it every year since 1991.

Congress believed the federally recognized day was needed to counter declining public awareness of the Medal of Honor and that it would help national, state, and local organizations to foster appreciation and recognition of Medal of Honor recipients.

March 25 was selected as that was the day that Private Jacob Parrott became the first person to receive the Medal of Honor in 1863 as part of "Andrews Raiders."

This National Medal of Honor Day, some 23 Medal of Honor recipients will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The "unknowns" buried there are each Medal of Honor recipients.

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society takes part in this ceremony and has done an outstanding job in organizing other events at the New York Stock Exchange, the Medal of Honor Memorial in Indianapolis, Indiana, and at its headquarters onboard the USS Yorktown in Mount Pleasant, S.C.

And the society has done much to tell the story of the Medal of Honor through its educational programs, Citizen Honors Awards, museum, and its partnership with the American Battlefield Trust to create the Medal of Honor Valor Trail.

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Few presidents have awarded more Medals of Honor than President Harry S. Truman.

In making the award to WWII and Korean War heroes, Truman would often remark, "I would much rather have that Medal around my neck than to be president of the United States. It is the greatest honor that can come to a man. It is an honor that all of us strive for, but very few of us ever achieve."

President Truman was right.

It is the greatest honor America can bestow upon any of its citizens.

Recipients are the epitome of valor, selfless service, love of country, and love of fellow man. However, there is one other trait that is common among Medal of Honor recipients and that is humility.

When I had the honor of serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, I got to know then Colonel Robert Foley, who served in our office.

Bob Foley was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in Vietnam in 1966.

He's truly one of the humblest men I've ever known, and I learned a lot from him.

After his retirement as a Lieutenant General, he went on to serve a director of Army Emergency Relief.

That's Bob Foley – still going beyond the call of duty to help our Military and their families. And that's the same selfless and humble spirit that characterizes America's Medal of Honor recipients.

We see this humility in Medal of Honor recipient and retired Navy SEAL Michael Thornton who said, "As long Michael Thornton lives, that medal will always stand for them. Not for me. Not for what I've done, but for what I was trained to do, and what they were trained to do to give us our freedoms today."

And this humility is further exemplified by William Carney, the first African American to earn the Medal of Honor as a result of his actions at Fort Wagner on Morris Island, S.C.

Rather than pursuing his dream of going into the ministry, he joined the U.S. Military because as he explained, "I could best serve my God serving my country and my oppressed brothers."

There is much history surrounding the Medal of Honor.

All services, including the new Space Force, are authorized to award it.

Only one coast guardsmen received it — Signalman First Class Douglas Munro, for his actions at Guadalcanal. Dr. Mary Walker, the Union Army's only female surgeon during the Civil War is the only female recipient.

And, there have been two Father-Son Medal of Honor recipients: Arthur and Douglas MacArthur; and Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.

President Ronald Reagan was right when he reminded us, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."

Our nation's 40th president went on to say, "We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

The story of the Medal of Honor is an American story of courage, selfless service, commitment to duty, and love of country.

It's a story that must be told to this and future generations. Yes, education is a national security issue. Teach your kids about the Medal of Honor and what it means to be an American. And thank God for giving us heroes such as these.

Van Hipp is Chairman of American Defense International, Inc. He is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army and author of "The New Terrorism: How to Fight It and Defeat It." He is the 2018 recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Sept. 11 Garden Leadership Award for National Security. Read Van Hipp's Reports — More Here.

https://www.newsmax.com/vanhipp/medal-roosevelt-truman/2024/03/25/id/1158496/

 

[adjusterjack]

One of the most highly decorated (if not the most decorated) Medal of Honor recipients of World War II) was Audie Murphy.

Murphy's post-war acting career spanned two decades, during which he portrayed himself in the 1955 movie To Hell and Back.

Audie Murphy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Tax Counsel]

The remarkable thing is that service members don't go out with the intent to earn the medal. That would be a dangerous route to take, as the medal recipients are those who were placed by circumstances out of their control into very dangerous conditions. They then have the clear head to think rationally, not panic, and muster the courage to take on great risk either to save others or to complete a critical mission that in turn saved the lives of others. Few sane people want to actively seek out a dangerous situation where they may be killed or severely disabled just for a chance to get that medal, And they might end up getting it posthumously, never knowing that they received it.

Even more remarkable to me is that 38 people have recieved the award twice.

There is a lot of interesting information about the medal and those who have received it on the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's page Medal of Honor Stats and FAQs

 

[army judge]

One of the most highly decorated (if not the most decorated) Medal of Honor recipients of World War II) was Audie Murphy.

Murphy's post-war acting career spanned two decades, during which he portrayed himself in the 1955 movie To Hell and Back.

Audie Murphy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Audie Murphy was an amazing figure.

Audie L. Murphy enlisted in the Army of the United States, 30 June 1942, at Dallas, Texas and was sent to Camp Wolters, Texas for basic training.

Murphy doctored his birth records and was ACTUALLY born on 25 June 1925 at age 17 upon army enlistment, some claim he was age 16, while some say age 13.

After serving with Company K, 385th Infantry at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland since October 1942, he departed the United States, 8 February 1943, for duty in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations. While serving as a Staff Sergeant with Company B, 15th Infantry, he was honorably discharged 13 October 1944 and accepted a combat appointment as a second lieutenant in the Army of the United States on 14 October 1944. He then served as Platoon Leader and Company Commander with the 15th Infantry Regiment to August 1945. Upon his return to the United States from June 10 - June 14, 1945, he was sent to Fort Sam Houston, Texas where he accepted a commission as first lieutenant in the Officers' Reserve Corps on 21 August 1945 and was released from active duty on 21 September 1945. He was Federally recognized as Captain, National Guard of the United States on 19 October 1950. On 14 February 1956, he was Federally recognized as Major, National Guard of Texas and was promoted to Major, National Guard of the United States effective the same date. His status in the National Guard terminated 7 November 1966, by reason of withdrawal of Federal Recognition, and he was transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve, where he held a commission as a major.

 

[army judge]

Even more remarkable to me is that 38 people have recieved the award twice.

I agree, that is an amazing fact!

Patriotism isn't dead, it's just sleeping.

It'll awaken the populace, if and when our nation's existence and our freedoms are threatened.

 

[army judge]

One of the most highly decorated (if not the most decorated) Medal of Honor recipients of World War II) was Audie Murphy.

No matter what country you're from, we all owe a huge debt to the countless service members who have risked their lives for our freedom. Some, however, went substantially above and beyond the call of duty and have received numerous medals for their valor and gallantry. While you may not recognize all of these names, it's important to study the stories of the most decorated U.S. service members—one from each branch of service—who did so much to protect our freedom.

Murphy's most heroic act, however, happened on January 26, 1945 near the village of Holtzwihr in eastern France. Faced with six Panzer tanks and 250 infantryman, Murphy and his men fell back to increase their defenses. Murphy mounted an abandoned burning task and repelled the German advance for nearly an hour alone and with a single machine gun, even through a wound in the leg. Murphy single-handedly killed 50 Germans and allowed Murphy and his men to counterattack and drive the enemy from Holtzwihr.

Murphy received the Medal of Honor and Legion of Merit for this action on June 2, 1945 in Salzburg, Austria. After the war when asked about his decision to seize the machine gun and take on a company of German infantry single-handedly, Murphy replied, "They were killing my friends."

At the end of the war, Murphy had become America's most decorated soldier, receiving every U.S. military combat award for valor available from the U.S. Army as well as three medals from France and one from Belgium. This included the American Campaign Medal, the European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with arrowhead device and 9 campaign stars, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp for U.S. medals.

Murphy received the following medals and accolades from France: the French Legion of Honor – Grade of Chevalier, the French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star, the French Croix de Guerre with Palm, the French Liberation Medal, and the French Fourragère in Colors of the Croix de Guerre, which was authorized for all members of the 3rd Infantry Division who fought in France during World War II. Finally, Belgium awarded Murphy the Belgian Croix de Guerre with 1940 Palm. Murphy would receive all of these medals before he turned 22 years old.

When Murphy came back from the war, he became an actor and was featured in forty films, including the film adaption of his book, To Hell and Back. He had to sleep with a pistol underneath his pillow because he suffered from what we would now call PTSD. Murphy died at the age of 46 due to a private plane crash near Roanoke, Virginia in 1971. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery and has the most visited grave after John F. Kennedy and the Unknown Soldier.

 

[adjusterjack]

I was curious to see how many Arizonans received the MOH (37). Of the 37, 11 were Native Americans, which led me to another site that listed all of the Native American MOH recipients (29) going as far back as far as 150 years.

Including Marine Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (Sioux) who commanded the Black Sheep squadron in the pacific.

Pappy Boyington - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The name should be familiar to anybody watched the Black Sheep TV program (1976-1978).

 

[Tax Counsel]

The name should be familiar to anybody watched the Black Sheep TV program (1976-1978).

It is indeed familar to me from that show. But I'm surprised it aired in the mid seventies; I could swear I saw it later. Maybe I saw it in syndication, though syndication didn't really start to take off until about a decade later. I wouldn't have been old enough for my parents to let me watch that in 1976.

As an aside, those actors in the 1960s and 1970s who negotiated for a share of residuals from future broadcasts of their shows often made more (sometimes much more) off the syndication of the show than what they were paid to act in the show. At the time TV studio execs didn't think there'd be much interest by the public in seeing old shows that had been off the air for years.

Lucy and Desi Arnaz made out especially well because they (1) owned outright the shows they starred in and produced and (2) had the foresight to record their shows on film, which not only had better image quality than the kinescopes used for all other shows in the 1950s, but much more permanent as well. I Love Lucy became one of the most popular syndicated programs, and all that money went directly back to Lucy and Desi.

 

[welkin]

I agree, that is an amazing fact!

Patriotism isn't dead, it's just sleeping.

It'll awaken the populace, if and when our nation's existence and our freedoms are threatened.

Judge, our freedoms are already threatened from within every day and our nation's existence is slowly slipping away. We should learn from history (as far back as Rome and as recently as the French revolution) that when the rule-of-law is corrupted, the empire will fall.

Is it true that the Federal and state governments want to control every aspect of our lives? I will give you just one example (and there are many).

Food Freedom — 1776 Law Center

Read about Amos Miller, an Amash farmer, and what it is happening in PA against your ability to control what you put into your own bodies.

I love watching Audie Murphy movies.

 

[adjusterjack]

Is it true that the Federal and state governments want to control every aspect of our lives?

My son says so. He says, for example, that Covid was the US government's experiment in population control. Most of the population of the US obeyed the government mandates for vaccinations, masks, distance, isolation, etc.

 

[Tax Counsel]

Read about Amos Miller, an Amash farmer, and what it is happening in PA against your ability to control what you put into your own bodies.

Amos Miller may lose that cause, at least as far as federal regulation goes. The Supreme Court in 1942 decided the case of Wickard v. Filburn, 317 U.S. 111 (1942). At issue in that case was an Act of Congress known as the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) passed in 1938 during the depression that had the effect of severely restricting wheat production in the U.S. The purpose was to support higher wheat prices so wheat farmers wouldn't be driven bankrupt by the extremely low global price for wheat at the time. Wheat farmers as a whole supported it, but not all farmers were affected equally by the Act.

Filburn was a wheat farmer who surpassed the quota of wheat the Department of Agriculture alloted to him. But amount over the quota was used solely Filburn to feed his family. He didn't sell any of it to others. Even so, the Department of Agriculture asserted that by providing that extra wheat for himself he was removing himself as a consumer of wheat and as a result was undermining the quota system. The effect was small, but the Department argued that if Filburn can do that, so can every other farmer and the combined effect would be substantial. Thus, it argued that the Department had to have that power to carry out the Act. Supreme Court ruled against Filburn. The Supreme Court agreed, the majority opinion stating:

The effect of the statute before us is to restrict the amount which may be produced for market and the extent as well to which one may forestall resort to the market by producing to meet his own needs. That appellee's own contribution to the demand for wheat may be trivial by itself is not enough to remove him from the scope of federal regulation where, as here, his contribution, taken together with that of many others similarly situated, is far from trivial.

Wickard at 127-28.

The bottom line was that Filburn lost the case. He could only grow what was alloted to him under the Act, and no more, even if the excess never entered commerce at all. It was the removal of Filburn as a consumer of wheat that affected interstate commerce.

In the decades after the AAA was repealed no similar statute has ever been enacted by Congress and thus there has been no opportunity for the Court to reverse the Wickard opinion. My guess is that if such a challenge were made today, the conservative majority on the Court would reject the Wickard analysis and instead focus on Filburn's right to use his land to support himself without federal government interference. But until that happens, Wickard is still good case law.

What the PA Supreme Court would say about state regulation of what we can grow and consume ourselves isn't known. Perhaps the state courts would not be so deferential to the state as Justice Jackson was the Wickard opinion.

Note that the Wickard decision was issued 82 years ago. So it's not new and not a sign of any current trends in our politics today.

 

[welkin]

The case you cited is not even close to on point with what is happening to Amos Miller and other Amash farmers in PA, and now happening to private farmers in Oregon.

Did you read the case documents and press releases that I linked to? If not, read them and then tell me what you think. Scroll to the bottom of the page to read the case documents.

AMOS MILLER — 1776 Law Center

This story is about a very corrupt PA department of agriculture and their attempt to control, not only food produced in PA, but all food that passes through or into PA. The USDA even said it is wrong and refused to intervein.

 

[welkin]

Watch the latest podcast about the case where lead attorney, Robert Barns, lays out the entire case. You should be concerned because this is not just about Amos Miller.

 

[Tax Counsel]

This story is about a very corrupt PA department of agriculture and their attempt to control, not only food produced in PA, but all food that passes through or into PA.

(bolding added). The case I cited had nothing to with the part I highlighted because it wasn't a case dealing with rights between the states. I agree that PA almost certainly violates the Constitution in trying to stop the food that is just transiting through PA and none that food going through the state is offloaded in the state. The state does have jurisdiction to regulate food once it arrives for sale in the state. You won't get any argument from me concerning the corruption in PA state government. I used to live in that state and saw the results of corruption over and over again while there. PA is a wonderful state in many ways, but it has to clean up it's government. My impression from living there is that PA is largely stuck in the past in a lot of areas, especially when it comes to how state and local governments function. From what I've seen, government there hasn't really changed much since I left.