Tag Archives: Medal of Honor

The Drummer Boy Hero

HOW A 14-YEAR-OLD EARNED THE MEDAL OF HONOR  

There I was the day before Memorial Day, walking through Springfield National Cemetery in southwest Missouri, paying my respects to the Civil War dead. It’s one of the few national cemeteries where men from both sides rest.

One marker caught my eye. Its inscription said, “Orion P. Howe, Medal of Honor.”

A Medal of Honor recipient in an obscure Ozarks cemetery? This merited investigation. And what I learned astonished me.

Meet the Drummer Boy Hero. Continue reading →

When the Army Took Back the Congressional Medal of Honor

Medal

Displaying heroism worthy of receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor is hard. Having that distinction taken away from you is even harder.

Believe it or not, nearly 100 years ago the U.S. Army told almost 1,000 aging veterans they weren’t qualified for our nation’s highest military honor, which they had been presented decades before. It’s a sad, sad story. Continue reading →