Official White House Video of ceremony posted on YouTubeĪfter the the reading of the citation President Obama placed the medal around the neck of Staff Sergeant Giunta. President Obama then came to the podium and addressed the audience saying that this was the first decoration of the medal of honor to a living member of the military in 40 years. Major General and Chief of Chaplains for the United States Army Douglas Lanier Carver began the ceremony with a prayerful invocation. The ceremony took place in the East Room of the White House before a large group of invited guests and dignitaries. Saluting Medal Of Honor recipients, however, is not mandatory according to a November 18th article in the military news service Stars and Stripes, “Officially, there is no law or military regulation requiring all service members to salute Medal of Honor recipients, but you are allowed to do so when the recipient is physically wearing the medal, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.” This eRumor was based on an article that was written by Reese Lloyd on Novemand published on the NewsWithViews web site. Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta with the Medal of Honor for heroism in the field of combat in Afghanistan. On November 16th President Obama awarded U.S. This is a forwarded article that asks why President Obama did not salute a medal of honor recipient after decorating him at the White House on November 16, 2010. When the medal With Distinction is awarded, the star may be presented descending from a neck ribbon and can be identified by its larger size than the standard medal (compare size of medals in pictures below President Reagan's was awarded With Distinction).Why No Salute By Obama At Medal Of Honor Ceremony?- Commentary! It is worn around the neck on a blue ribbon with white edge stripes.Ī special, rarely given grade of the medal, known as the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, has a larger execution of the same medal design worn as a star on the left chest along with a sash over the right shoulder (similar to how the insignia of a Grand Cross is worn), with its rosette (blue with white edge, bearing the central disc of the medal at its center) resting on the left hip. Golden American bald eagles with spread wings stand between the points of the star.
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The badge of the Presidential Medal of Freedom is in the form of a golden star with white enamel, with a red enamel pentagon behind it the central disc bears thirteen gold stars on a blue enamel background (taken from the Great Seal of the United States) within a golden ring. There are two degrees of the Medal, the higher being the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction. It was later re-established by President Kennedy in Executive Order 11085 CRS-4 of February 22, 1963, to recognize persons who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States to world peace or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. President Truman first awarded the Medal of Freedom to reward war-connected acts or services during World War II. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered the highest civilian award of the United States government.
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According to the Congressional Record Service the "with distinction" is just a higher degree of the medal: