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Forty-two years after his selfless act of heroism during the Vietnam war saved the lives of his fellow soldiers, Army Specialist Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on Wednesday.
President Obama will present the nation's highest decoration for valor to Sabo's widow, Rose Mary Brown, and brother, George Sabo.
The then 22-year-old Sabo died on May 10, 1970 as his patrol was ambushed near a remote border area of Cambodia. The attack by North Vietnamese troops killed seven of Sabo's fellow soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division and would come to be known as the "Mother's Day ambush."
A White House statement announcing Sabo's receipt of the Medal of Honor in April described how Sabo gave his life that day to silence the enemy fire.
According to the release, Sabo charged enemy positions and killed several North Vietnamese fighters while drawing fire away from his unit.
Later, Sabo used his body to shield a wounded soldier from the blast of a tossed grenade. Wounded by automatic weapons fire, he crawled towards an enemy bunker and dropped a grenade that "silenced the enemy fire, but also ended Specialist Sabo's life."
The statement said Sabo's "indomitable courage and complete disregard for his own safety saved the lives of many of his platoon members."
Sabo's commanders nominated him for the Medal of Honor, but the request may not have been properly processed and was subsequently lost.
A campaign to correct the oversight began in 1999 when Tony Mabb, a researcher for the 101st Airborne Division Association's magazine, came across a thick file of Sabo's paperwork in the National Archives.
Mabb contacted members of Congress who worked to extend the statute of limitations for nominations for the Medal of Honor so Sabo's case could be reviewed. Nominations for the Medal have to be made within three years after the incident.
After legislation was passed in 2008 that eliminated that hurdle, the Army's recommendation that Sabo should receive the Medal of Honor was forwarded to the White House in 2010. The White House announced in April that President Obama would posthumously award the medal to Sabo's family.
Four Decades Later, Vietnam War Hero Spec. Leslie Sabo to Receive Medal of Honor
Forty-two years after his selfless act of heroism during the Vietnam war saved the lives of his fellow soldiers, Army Specialist Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on Wednesday.
President Obama will present the nation's highest decoration for valor to Sabo's widow, Rose Mary Brown, and brother, George Sabo.
The then 22-year-old Sabo died on May 10, 1970 as his patrol was ambushed near a remote border area of Cambodia. The attack by North Vietnamese troops killed seven of Sabo's fellow soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division and would come to be known as the "Mother's Day ambush."
A White House statement announcing Sabo's receipt of the Medal of Honor in April described how Sabo gave his life that day to silence the enemy fire.
According to the release, Sabo charged enemy positions and killed several North Vietnamese fighters while drawing fire away from his unit.
Later, Sabo used his body to shield a wounded soldier from the blast of a tossed grenade. Wounded by automatic weapons fire, he crawled towards an enemy bunker and dropped a grenade that "silenced the enemy fire, but also ended Specialist Sabo's life."
The statement said Sabo's "indomitable courage and complete disregard for his own safety saved the lives of many of his platoon members."
Sabo's commanders nominated him for the Medal of Honor, but the request may not have been properly processed and was subsequently lost.
A campaign to correct the oversight began in 1999 when Tony Mabb, a researcher for the 101st Airborne Division Association's magazine, came across a thick file of Sabo's paperwork in the National Archives.
Mabb contacted members of Congress who worked to extend the statute of limitations for nominations for the Medal of Honor so Sabo's case could be reviewed. Nominations for the Medal have to be made within three years after the incident.
After legislation was passed in 2008 that eliminated that hurdle, the Army's recommendation that Sabo should receive the Medal of Honor was forwarded to the White House in 2010. The White House announced in April that President Obama would posthumously award the medal to Sabo's family.
Four Decades Later, Vietnam War Hero Spec. Leslie Sabo to Receive Medal of Honor - Yahoo!
President Barack Obama will award the Medal of Honor to two soldiers who served in Vietnam and one who distinguished himself in the battle of Gettysburg, the White House announced Tuesday. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins and Army Spc. 4 Donald P. Sloat will be honored Sept. 15 for their conspicuous gallantry. Adkins deployed to Vietnam three times. During his second deployment, in March of 1966, he was a sergeant first class with Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces. Adkins displayed "extraordinary bravery" during a sustained and vicious attack by the Vietcong from March 9 to March 12, 1966, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala. said in 2013. Rogers spoke about Adkins' actions in asking Congress to pass a bill allowing the president to award him the Medal of Honor. Adkins had been recommended by his command for the Medal of Honor but received a Distinguished Service Cross for his actions, which included running through exploding mortar rounds while wounded to drag several of his fellow soldiers to safety, Rogers said. Adkins retired from the Army after serving 22 years and will travel to Washington from his home in Alabama to receive the medal, the White House said.
Sloat was a machine gunner with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, when he was killed in Vietnam in 1970. Sloat’s squad was on a patrol near Hawk Hill Fire Base on Jan. 17, 1970 when one of the soldiers triggered a grenade booby trap in their path, the White House said. Sloat picked up the grenade, intending to throw it away, but realizing it was about to explode, instead used his body to shield three fellow soldiers from the blast, the White House said. Sloat’s brother, William Sloat of Enid, Oklahoma, will accept the medal on his brother’s behalf.
Army Spc. 4 Donald P. Sloat and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins.
Obama also approved a Medal of Honor for 1st Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing for his actions while serving as commanding officer of Battery A, 4th United States Artillery, Artillery Brigade, 2nd Corps, Army of the Potomac. Cushing was shot multiple times while commanding his battery in the area of Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 3, 1863, but refused to retreat, according to the 2013 bill authorizing the president to award Cushing the Medal of Honor. His battery took “a severe pounding by Confederate artillery,” and as the rebel infantry advanced in what is known as Pickett’s Charge, Cushing manned the last working piece of field artillery in his battery, according to the White House. Cushing was killed, but his actions made it possible for the Union Army to overcome the Confederate assault, the White House said. A small monument was erected in Cushing’s honor at Gettysburg, and he was buried with full honors at West Point, his alma mater.
Congress in 2002 called for a review of records of Jewish-American and Hispanic-American veterans, to make sure deserving veterans were not denied the Medal of Honor because of their racial or ethnic backgrounds. During that review, the Pentagon also found other veterans who were worthy of receiving the Medal of Honor, including Adkins and Sloat. The Medal of Honor is awarded to servicemembers who distinguish themselves conspicuously by gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. Also this week, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has recommended awarding a Medal of Honor to Sgt. Henry Johnson, who served as a railroad porter in the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment during World War I. Obama has not yet approved the award, which, like those for Adkins, Sloat and Cushing, requires Congress to pass special legislation before moving forward because the actions took place more than five years ago.
Obama to award 3 Medals of Honor including 1 to Civil War soldier - Veterans - Stripes
