Medal of Honor recipients honor citizen heroes during Fort Myer ceremony

By Delonte HarrodMarch 31, 2016

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1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – From left, Medal of Honor recipients Donald Ballard and James A. Taylor and U.S. Army
Maj. Gen. L. Neil Thurgood lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington
National Cemetery in recognition of National Medal of Honor Day March 25. Mo... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)
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2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – From left, Medal of Honor recipients Donald Ballard and James A. Taylor and U.S. Army Maj. Gen. L. Neil Thurgood
salute during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in
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More than 20 Medal of Honor recipients honored service members and community members who have embodied the virtues of sacrifice, courage and love for their country during National Medal of Honor Day March 25 with ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.

Members of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which is comprised of living Medal of Honor recipients, Donald Ballard and James A. Taylor, laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in recognition of National Medal of Honor Day. Following that ceremony, they presented four citizens and one organization with the Citizen Honor Awards in Fort Myer's Brucker Hall.

"Every year on this day the Medal of Honor recipients recognize and honor the service members who have sacrificed and fought to defend our freedom," said Tom Kelley, Medal of Honor recipient and president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, according to a press release provided by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation.

Recipients of the Citizen Honor Awards included U.S. Army veteran Chris Mintz of Roseburg, Ore., who confronted a shooter at Umpqua Community College and was shot five times while protecting others during the campus shooting. Another award recipient, James Vernon of Morton, Ill., was selected because he subdued an armed person who attempted to kill women and children in a public library. Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Hadbavny of Charleston, S.C., was selected for her commitment to serving veterans through the American Red Cross and several veteran service organizations, despite having a rare form of cancer.

New to this year's awards ceremony were two new Citizen Honors Awards created by the society to "recognize young heroes and community service organizations," according to the society's website. The two new awards include the Young Hero Award and the Community Service Hero Award.

Myles Eckert, 10, received the first-ever Young Hero Award for raising $2 million donated to various charities that support Gold Star military families; and United Through Reading, a non-profit organization, received a Community Service Hero Award for creating opportunities for service members who are serving overseas to read to their children using pre-recorded videos.

"Like our individual courage and service awards, our two new awards demonstrate that individuals can directly impact and improve our communities," said Kelley.

Greta Van Susteren, the master of ceremony and host of the Fox News Channel show On the Record, said the Citizen Awards were given to people who just wanted to help.

The Citizen Awards are a subset of the Medal of Honor, according to Kelley. The awards program was created by past recipients of the Medal of Honor, according to Kelley.

"[They were created] to encourage and inspire service and valor in communities across America," said Kelley, according to the same press release. "With these awards, we're asking all Americans to consider how they can serve and build a stronger America."

Pentagram Staff Writer Delonte Harrod can be reached at dharrod@dcmilitary.com.