21JUL1944: Serving as a mortar platoon, 1LT Roger Smith hit the beach with his mortar platoon right behind the advancing infantrymen.  Identifying a wounded Marine lying close to a hostile pillbox, he stopped his men and began working a rescue plan to pull him back to friendly lines.  Alternating between his rifle, grenades and a flame thrower, LT Smith did all he could to suppress the enemy strong point, being wounded in the process.  Continuing to push forward, LT Smith silenced the enemy position, saving the wounded Marine but himself dying from his wounds.  

For his sacrifice and bravery, 1LT Roger Smith would be posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.  

28JUL2005: LT Michael Murphy was leading his team of four Navy SEALS as Operation Red Wing kicked off.  Inserted deep into enemy territory, LT Murphy and his team were tasked with surveillance and reconnaissance of a series of buildings thought to house Taliban leadership ahead of Marine movement into the area.  

After a successful insertion, LT Murphy's team was discovered by a goat herder.  Hoping for the best, the team released the Afghan male who promptly reported their position to the local Taliban leadership.  Before long, the entire SEAL team was under heavy fire from a numerically superior enemy force.  

LT Murphy led his team in a valiant defense, being wounded multiple times in the process.  Due to the rugged terrain, the team was unable to call for reinforcements or even alert American units of their dire situation.  As enemy forces closed in on the SEALS, LT Murphy made a decision to risk his life in order to save his men.

Recognizing that reinforcements were needed or they would be overrun, LT Murphy moved to an exposed position in the hopes his radio calls would be transmitted.  He was right.  Despite being shot multiple times while making the call, LT Murphy stayed on the line even signing off with a 'thank you'.  Now mortally wounded but with reinforcements on the way, LT Michael Murphy would continue to fight until he died of his wounds.

For giving his life in an attempt to save his brothers, LT Michael Murphy would be awarded, posthumously, the Medal of Honor.  

26JAN1945: His unit's strength dropping from 235 to 18, 2LT Audie Murfphy found himself the only officer in Bravo Company, 1-15IN as a German counterattack unfolded near Holtzwihr, France. 2LT Murphy, having been wounded in both legs a few days prior, took command of the company and set in for the defense.

As the enemy tanks approached his position, a US tank destroyer was hit and set ablaze, forcing the crew to evacuate.  Ordering his men to fall back to the cover of a wood line, 2LT Murphy began his defense of the position.  Alternating between firing his rifle at the advancing infantry and calling in artillery strikes, the German attackers zeroed in on Murphy's position.  Facing the full brunt of the German attack, 2LT Murphy made his way atop the tank destroyer where he manned the .50 caliber machine gun and continued his one man defense of the American position.  

For nearly an hour, 2LT Murphy manned the machine gun, fully exposed to enemy fire, and repelled the attacking German forces only stopping when he ran completely out of ammunition having killed upwards of 50 enemy fighers by himself.  Wounded again in his leg, 2LT Murphy rejoined his men and led them on a successful counterattack that pushed the Germans out of the immediate area.  

For his brave and selfless actions that day, 2LT Audie Murphy would be awarded the Medal of Honor.  The medal would add to his collection of a Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, a Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, and three Purple Hearts, a record that would make him the most decorated American Soldier of WWII.  Audie Murphy would survive the war and go on to have a successful movie career before he tragically died in a plane crash in 1971 at the age of 45.  

10NOV2004: Serving as a squad leader during the Second Battle of Fallujah, SSG David Bellavia's unit was tasked with clearing a series of fortified enemy positions within the city.  As his squad entered to clear a building, they came under intense enemy fire from close range.  Having a round damage his rifle, SSG Bellavia picked up a Squad Automatic Weapon, or M249, and pushed into the building by himself to silence the enemy fire.

The fire suppressed for the time being, SSG Bellavia continued in the building until he came upon an insurgent loading an RPG to be fired against American forces.  Bellavia fired and killed the RPG gunner while wounding another that exited to another room.  Continuing through the building, SSG Bellavia cleared room after room killing another two insurgents in the process.

Finally, having reached the rooftop of the second floor, an insurgent jumped from the third floor surprising Bellavia but not for long.  A quick reaction allowed SSG Bellavia to train his weapon on the insurgent and wound him in the back and legs, falling off the roof.

For clearing an entire enemy filled house and protecting his men in the process, SSG David Bellavia would be awarded the Medal of Honor.  

14APR2004: Serving as a rifle squad leader in Husaybah, Iraq, CPL Dunham's team was called upon when his battalion commander's convoy was ambushed.  As the approached the scene, CPL Dunham dismounted his vehicle and with a fire team, moved towards the engagement area.

Enroute, CPL Dunham's team came across a series of suspicious vehicles attempting to flee the scene.  Stopping these vehicles, the Marines began a search quickly identifying AK-47 assault rifles.  At that point, the driver of the vehicle attacked the Marines in an attempt to escape.  CPL Dunham tackled the man to the ground and watched as he dropped a live grenade among the Americans.  

Without hesitation, CPL Dunham yelled a warning to his teammates and threw his body on the grenade, absorbing the full brunt of the explosion.  On 22APR2004, CPL Jason Dunham died of his wounds sustained from the grenade blast.  His selfless act saved the lives of at least two fellow Marines that day, an action for which he would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. 

31JUL1943: PVT Rodger Young, serving as an infantryman during the Battle of Munda Point in the New Georgia Campaign, was on a patrol when his platoon came under intense from an enemy machine gun emplacement.

Firing from a mere 75 yards away, the initial burst killed two Soldiers and wounded Young.  With two more killed attempting to flank the machine gun, the patrol leader ordered a withdrawal.  At this point, Young spoke up that he could see the enemy emplacement and began moving towards it despite the heavy volume of accurate fire.  

Nearing the machine gun nest, PVT Young was wounded a second time but continued his advance.  Returning fire as he moved, Young made it close enough to begin throwing grenades into the position, killing or wounding all inside.  At this point, PVT Young was hit again and killed by the enemy defenders but his actions allowed his platoon to disengage and exit the kill zone.  

For his actions, PVT Rodger Young would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.  

30OCT1944: His unit suffering 55 casualties during an attack on an entrenched German position near St Jacques, France, PVT Wilburn Ross dug in an prepared for a counter attack.  Manning a machine gun, Ross placed himself a few yards ahead of American lines in order to take on the full force of the enemy attack.

Despite small arms fire and grenades impacting all around his position, PVT Ross repelled seven consecutive enemy attacks over the course of the afternoon.  As the eight assault was launched, most of PVT Ross's supporting riflemen were out of ammunition and an order came to fall back.  With his unit already weakened, the exposed retreat could have cost many more their lives.  In turn, Ross stayed at his position and held out for more machine gun ammunition.

As the enemy was about to swarm over his position, new ammunition founds its way to Ross and he opened fire at close range, mowing down the attacking soldiers forcing the Germans to withdraw.  Having killed at least 58 enemy attackers that day, PVT Ross almost single-handedly repelled the counter attack efforts.  

For his actions that day, PVT Ross would be awarded the Medal of Honor.  He would go on to serve a total of 20 years in service to include seeing combat during the Korean War.  He retired in 1964 at the rank of Master Sergeant.  

03DEC1968: Serving as a squad leader with Delta Company, 2-7 CAV, part of the 1st Infantry Division, SGT John Holcomb was leading his men during a recon-in-force mission during Operation Sheridan Sabre.  As soon as his company landed they came under intense fire from an estimated battalion sized enemy force attacking from three sides.  

SGT Holcomb's squad found itself in the path of the main enemy attack.  Despite heavy fire, SGT Holcomb moved among his men and directed fields of fire to keep the charging enemy at bay.  When his machine gunner fell, SGT Holcomb assumed the weapon and picked right back up laying into the attacking enemy fighters.  As the first wave died off, SGT Holcomb treated and moved his wounded and reestablished their defensive perimeter, just in time for the second wave to kick off.

Again manning the machine gun, SGT Holcomb forced the enemy to again withdraw but was severely wounded by a rocket in the process.  Despite his wounds, SGT Holcomb crawled through a grass fire with rockets and mortars landing all around him, to consolidate what remained of his squad into a defensive position.  

The last surviving leader of the platoon, SGT Holcomb, in one of his last acts, took the radio and called in friendly artillery that broke up the final enemy attack.  His fighting spirit and inspiring leadership saved the lives of countless American Soldiers that day. 

SGT Holcomb would die of his wounds suffered that day and would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.  

25OCT2007: Serving as a team leader with Company B, 2-503IN, SPC Salvatore Giunta and his squad began a patrol that would take them back to the relative safety of their nearby outpost.  Shortly after leaving their overwatch position, SPC Giunta's squad became the focus of a near ambush initiated by 10-15 Taliban fighters.

Armed with assault rifles, machine guns, and RPGs, the enemy force initiated contact with a heavy barrage of close range fire.  The two elements were so close that attack aviation overhead was unable to differentiate between friend and foe.  Almost instantly, the two men at the head of the column were hit and fell wounded.  In reflexive response, SPC Giunta fired into the enemy attackers as he fell back a few feet to consolidate his fire team.  

The volume of fire only intensifying and now coming from two sides, SPC Giunta led a counterattack to break up the ambush.  Leading with grenades, SPC Giunta and his men pushed into the teeth of the enemy ambush, recovering one of the wounded US Soldiers to whom they began providing medical aid.  However, SGT Joshua Brennan wasn't lying where he fell.

Despite the continued enemy fire, SPC Giunta pushed forward in search of his fallen brother.  Cresting the hill he spotted two Taliban fighters carrying a wounded SGT Brennan away.  Without hesitation, Giunta took aim and charged ahead killing one enemy fighter and wounding the other causing them to drop SGT Brennan.  His team consolidated and held on for reinforcements as the battle dissipated. 

For his selfless act of courage in breaking up the enemy ambush and rescuing a wounded American from being taken captive, SPC Salvatore Giunta would be awarded the Medal of Honor.

25JUN1944: His unit pinned down near Fort du Roule in Cherbourg, France, CPL John Kelly volunteered to reduce the enemy position causing them so much trouble.  Procuring a pole charge, a long stick with an explosive charge on one end, CPL Kelly climbed a slope under intense machine gun fire to within 10 feet of the entrenched enemy.  

His first attempt unsuccessful, CPL Kelly returned to friendly lines, reequipped, and made his way back up the slope again under intense fire.  This time, his charge blew the front off of the enemy guns, rendering them useless.  He then returned a third time to blow a gap in the bunker entrance large enough to throw grenades in.  His action forced the surrender of the enemy gun crew that could have inflicted heavy losses on his fellow Americans.  

For his brave and selfless act, CPL John Kelly would be awarded the Medal of Honor.