Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Pitts was one of several men responsible for setting up a new post in a volatile region of Afghanistan in 2008. The operation turned into a disaster for U.S. forces, but Pitts’ actions in guarding the post from insurgents earned him the Medal of Honor. Pitts was born on Oct. 1, 1985, and grew up on ...

Musicians played a significant role during the Civil War, cheering up the men in the camps and preparing them to go into battle. But they also took on additional duties, some of which could be dangerous, and they took their roles as soldiers seriously. As we commemorate the recent anniversary of the pivotal Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, we remember ...

The Battle of Gettysburg is remembered as one of the most pivotal encounters of the Civil War, a conflict that led to more than 1,500 men earning the newly created Medal of Honor. One of those recipients, Army 1st Sgt. Frederick Fuger, wasn’t even a U.S. citizen when he held the Union position during Confederate Maj. Gen. George Pickett’s famous ...

Many young Americans die in war to save others, and the courage and selflessness they show in making those decisions are truly inspiring. Marine Corps Pfc. Harold Glenn Epperson was a month shy of his 21st birthday when he died giving his life for his fellow Marines on a small Pacific island during World War II. Epperson was born July ...

Long before Hawaii became a state, men from the island territory joined the United States military, including during World War II and the Korean War. One of Hawaii’s native sons, Army Pfc. Anthony Kaho’ohanohano, fought in the latter conflict. His brave solo stand against an overwhelming enemy force led to his death, but it also earned him the Medal of ...

Many Americans proudly fly the U.S. flag at their homes and places of work, but what do you do with it when it’s old and ratty and you’re ready for a new one? Don’t just throw it in the trash like any other old item — that’s considered disrespectful. Just as there’s etiquette for displaying Old Glory, there’s also etiquette ...

When you join the military, you don’t always get the job of your choice. Army Spc. 4th Class Alfred Rascon didn’t choose to be a medic when he joined the Army. But he did as he was assigned, and he did so with such distinction in Vietnam that, after a years-long push by fellow platoon members, he earned the Medal ...

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, inspired a generation of service members to fight for their country. Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II was one of them. After becoming a Green Beret, he went on to save more than a dozen men during a fierce firefight in Afghanistan. Those efforts eventually earned him the Medal of Honor. Shurer was born ...

Although many men were drafted into the military during the Vietnam War, some, like Marine Corps 2nd Lt. John Bobo, volunteered. Bobo never came home from the war, but his sacrifice saved several members of his company. For that, he earned the Medal of Honor. Bobo was born Feb. 14, 1943, in Niagara Falls, New York. He went to nearby ...

Nearly 7,000 Marines died in the Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the last major campaigns of World War II. It was a fight that led to 27 Marines and sailors earning the Medal of Honor. One of those recipients was Marine Corps Platoon Sgt. Joseph R. Julian, whose actions were instrumental in the battle’s success. Julian enlisted in the ...

Extreme bouts of courage can take over a soldier thrust into the front lines of war. Army 1st Lt. Francis Burke is a shining example of one of those cases. In the waning days of World War II, he single-handedly took out a third of the German troops his unit faced in Nuremberg, Germany. For that, he earned the Medal ...

A lot of us wake up in the morning and get ready for another day in our office cubicles. For Idaho Air National Guard Capt. Mike Shufeldt, that cubicle is often a 29,000-pound gunship with space for one and lots of buttons, levers, gauges and switches to play with. Shufeldt’s been flying the A-10 Thunderbolt II for about three years. ...

Army 1st Lt. Raymond Beaudoin made it through years of battle during World War II, just to be cut down within reach of its end. But the actions he took to save his platoon will always be remembered, and that’s why he earned the Medal of Honor. Beaudoin was born on July 15, 1918, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where he grew ...

Nearly 600 U.S. prisoners of war returned from Vietnam during Operation Homecoming in early 1973. Many had endured the longest wartime captivity of any group of U.S. POWs in the nation’s history. One of those repatriated was Navy Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale, an iconic Naval aviator who remains the only three-star admiral to have worn both aviator wings and the ...

Anyone who knows the Civil War history of Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg likely remembers the name of the man who held the hill, Army Maj. Gen. Joshua Chamberlain. His actions July 2, 1863, were pivotal to the Union winning that crucial battle, and, years later, they earned him the Medal of Honor. Chamberlain was born on ...