Medal of Honor Recipient Articles

Medal of Honor: Angelo J. Liteky – Vietnam War – December 6, 1967

In the middle of a battalion-size ambush, an unarmed chaplain moved upright through machine-gun fire—carrying the wounded, shielding the dying, and refusing to leave the fight until more than twenty men were saved.

MOH

Medal of Honor: Cassin Young – World War II – December 7, 1941

Blown overboard by the explosion of USS Arizona, one commanding officer swam back through burning oil, climbed aboard his shattered ship, and calmly fought to save her in the midst of Pearl Harbor’s chaos.

MOH

Medal of Honor: James Richard Ward – World War II – December 7, 1941

As USS Oklahoma rolled under repeated torpedo hits, one young sailor stayed behind in the darkness of a turret, holding a flashlight to guide others out—choosing certain death so his shipmates could live.

MOH

Medal of Honor: Franklin Van Valkenburgh – World War II – December 7, 1941

On the bridge of USS Arizona, one captain remained at his battle station through fire, explosions, and chaos—fighting his ship to the last moment before a catastrophic magazine blast claimed his life.

MOH

Medal of Honor: Peter Tomich – World War II – December 7, 1941

As USS Utah rolled under the force of torpedoes and bombs, one chief water tender stayed below refusing to leave the engineering spaces until every man under him was clear, sacrificing his life so others could escape.

MOH

Medal of Honor: Robert R. Scott – World War II – December 7, 1941

As USS California flooded from torpedo strikes, one sailor refused to abandon his air-compressor station — choosing to remain alone in a compartment filling with water so the ship’s guns could keep firing.

MOH

Medal of Honor: Donald Kirby Ross – World War II – December 7, 1941

Deep in USS Nevada’s dynamo rooms, one machinist ordered his men to safety, then stayed behind alone — fighting heat, steam, smoke, and exhaustion until he collapsed twice, returning each time to keep the ship’s power alive under fire.