Plan B Forum

I just read the entry on this "Highest US Military honor" in Wikipedia. I was surprised that it is only tradition in the Army and Navy to salute one with this honor. It is required by Air Force regulation. I remember vividly few things from my early military career as a basic trainee in Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri in 1960. One was a detail on military rank and courtesy, one of the very first things we were instructed on.

"When you see these whites stars on a blue background, YOU SALUTE !. I don't care if the guy wearing them is the scrawniest, ugliest, dirtiest guy you have every seen -- You SALUTE. I don't care if you are the president of the United States and Commander in Chief, YOU salute HIM !" [Remember, at that point in my life, these were words from GOD.]

In the WaPo for today I read that the CinC yesterday awarded this medal to four men for their service in Viet Nam war.: Sp5 Dwight Birdwell, Maj John Duffy, Sp5 Dennis Fuji, SSgt Edward Kaneshiro. In passing, the article mentioned that Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) who died in office in 2012, had received the Medal of Honor for service in Europe in WWII.

Anybody know if any other Senator or Congress critter was awarded this medal?

By the way, a Marine Sergeant major Daly got the medal twice, (for service in Haiti and before that in China as a private!) He should have earned it a third time in WWI, but some REMF decided it just would not do for an enlisted man to get it three times, so for that action it was reduced to just the Navy Cross. That action is immortalized in Marine legend when he asked " Come on, you sons uh bitches, Do you want to live forever?"

snailgate

When you see these whites stars on a blue background, YOU SALUTE !. I don't care if the guy wearing them is the scrawniest, ugliest, dirtiest guy you have every seen -- You SALUTE. I don't care if you are the president of the United States and Commander in Chief, YOU salute HIM !"

What I recall was hearing--even if it's just a uniform on a hanger coming by from the cleaners, you salute it; (pretty silly because you wouldn't send you medal to the cleaners, but the point was made), but I never realized it wasn't a regulation, but a tradition that is scrupulously adhered to. the other point I recall in the army is you salute the rank, not the man, and the MOH is the top rank and likely a man (or woman) worthy of respect.

FWIW, I recall in one WW@ movie there was a private who was supposed to receive a medal of honor and a full colonel or general saluted him in the office saying, "I'm just getting used to it".

I don't know if any senators/congressmen other than Inouye (I recall Ehrlichman (or was it Haldeman) calling him a "one armed nip" during the Watergate hearings, but these men "respected" the military), but I'm pretty sure there are not many after him.

Does Teddy Roosevelt count? (Not really a Congress critter but as VP . . . kinda?)

Earned for action on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In Congress
Jul 21, 1861 Adelbert Ames (R-MS) Mar 29, 1899 1870–1874
Dec 13, 1862 Matthew S. Quay (R-PA) Jul 9, 1888 1887–1899, 1901–1904
May 3, 1863 William J. Sewell (R-NJ) Mar 25, 1896 1881–1887, 1895–1901
May 27, 1863 Francis E. Warren (R-WY) Sep 30, 1893 1890–1893, 1895–1929
Oct 19, 1864 Henry A. du Pont (R-DE) Apr 2, 1898 1906–1917
Apr 21, 1945 Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) Jun 21, 2000 1963–2012
Mar 14, 1969 J. Robert Kerrey (D-NE) May 14, 1970 1989-2001