US Military

On October 8, 1918, in the Argonne Forest near Chatel-Chéhéry, Corporal Alvin C. York of Tennessee — a deeply religious man who had first sought exemption as a conscientious objector — was among a patrol caught by German machine-gun fire. Taking command after his sergeant fell, York silenced the guns with rifle and pistol, killed about 25 enemy soldiers and, with seven remaining men, captured 132 prisoners and 35 machine guns. He received the Medal of Honor and became the most celebrated American soldier of World War I.

On January 26, 1945, near Holtzwihr, France, Second Lieutenant Audie Murphy ordered his men back to the woods as German tanks and infantry attacked. He climbed onto a burning tank destroyer and, for about an hour, fired its .50-caliber machine gun at the advancing enemy, wounded in the leg, until the attack broke. He received the Medal of Honor and, with every U.S. award for valor, became the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II.

On May 2, 1968, west of Lộc Ninh, South Vietnam, Staff Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez, a Green Beret, jumped from a helicopter with only a knife and a medical bag to rescue a surrounded Special Forces team. During six hours of fighting he was wounded 37 times by bullets, bayonet and shrapnel, yet carried and dragged his comrades to safety, saving at least eight men. President Ronald Reagan presented his Medal of Honor on February 24, 1981.

On September 29, 2006, in Ramadi, Iraq, Navy SEAL Petty Officer Second Class Michael A. Monsoor was on a rooftop overwatch position when an insurgent's grenade bounced off his chest. Instead of jumping to safety through the exit he alone could reach, he threw himself on the grenade and was killed — saving the lives of his teammates. President George W. Bush presented the Medal of Honor to his parents on April 8, 2008.

On September 8, 2009, in the Ganjgal Valley of Kunar Province, Afghanistan, Corporal Dakota Meyer of the U.S. Marine Corps drove five times into an ambush against orders, killing insurgents, evacuating 12 wounded and covering the escape of 24 Afghan soldiers, then recovered the bodies of four fallen Americans. He received the Medal of Honor on September 15, 2011 — the first living Marine recipient since Vietnam.

On April 14, 2004, in Karabilah, Iraq, Corporal Jason L. Dunham of the U.S. Marine Corps was wrestling an insurgent when a grenade dropped. He covered it with his helmet and his own body to protect his fellow Marines. He died of his wounds on April 22, 2004. President George W. Bush presented his Medal of Honor to his family on January 11, 2007.