In 2005, President Bush awarded Tibor Rubin the Medal of Honor, a proud day that came more than fifty years after the medal was earned during the Korean War.  In defending the tale end of his retreating platoon, Rubin had singlehandedly beat back hundreds of Chinese attackers.  As the enemy swarmed against his retreating platoon, Rubin fell back and used his phenomenal marksmanship to full advantage.  According to eyewitness accounts, he killed more than 50 Chinese.

That was just one of many notable acts of courage that Rubin demonstrated while serving in the 8th Cavalry Regiment and for a nation that had yet to call him a citizen.

Pentagon records show that Rubin, a warrior's warrior, was recommended for the Medal of Honor on four separate occasions.  In spite of his incredible courage, he was passed over for the both MOH and Distinguished Service Cross in each case. Even this gracious act by the President toward a deserving man cloaks a wider failure by previous administrations and, in particular, our military leadership.  Right now, dozens of incredibly heroic Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines have been denied the MOH by a bureaucracy resistant to the need of validating the courage of the brave.

The sad fact is that through history the Medal of Honor has been denied to many by virtue of race and religion.  It is outrageous that not a single Asian or African-American was awarded the MOH during World War II. Fortunately, this was reversed. On June 21, 2000, President Clinton awarded the Medal of Honor to 22 Asian Americans, 20 of whom were Japanese-American veterans. Although 13 of the 20 Japanese American Medal of Honor awards were given posthumously, this belated act demonstrated that the U.S. acknowledged the important contribution of the Japanese-American soldiers to American history.

More injustice was undone three years earlier. On January 13, 1997, President Clinton awarded the nation's highest military honor to seven African-American servicemen who had served in World War II, only one of whom, Vernon Baker, was still living. This leads us back to Rubin.

Rubin is an aging gentleman who stands proud wherever he goes.  He is the only Jew to win the MOH from the Korean War even though 136 others received the Distinguished Service Cross or comparable medal for the other services.  Legislation passed in 2001 required the Department of Defense to review DSC-level winners for possible upgrading.  While the Pentagon refused to answer my question, I have been privately advised that only five reviews have been completed, all unfavorably.  This pitiful pace should be the subject of oversight in the new Congress.

While I would like to have the wider injustice to Jewish veterans addressed, I will tell you that I am proud of Tibor Rubin. He so typifies so many of the great men and women that serve so bravely in our armed forces.  He is a Holocaust survivor and was imprisoned by the Nazis in Mauthasusen.  He will never forget the day when American soldiers liberated the camp in 1945.  "I never thought I would get out of there alive," Rubin told me.

Rubin made his way to America because he had nothing left in Europe.  The Nazis had murdered his parents.  As soon as he could, he joined the Army knowing that he would go to war in Korea.  There, he fought with incredible courage while being victimized by an anti-Semite sergeant.  At every chance he could, this senior NCO placed Rubin in harm's way.  Eventually, the Chinese captured Rubin and members of his unit.  They were interned for 30 months.  According to eyewitness accounts, Rubin risked his life to steal food for his fellow POWs who otherwise would have starved to death.  When his fellow prisoners became depressed, he encouraged them with his humor and caring. One night, in the freezing cold of the camp, Rubin spent time that he could have spent sleeping scraping ice from the face of a freezing POW.

When I recently spoke to Rubin, he shared only positive thoughts about his experiences and his "new" homeland.  By coincidence, I knew of the family of a Navy SEAL who was recently killed in combat.  I told Rubin that the family lived in the same California town.  "I must go see them," Rubin said.

While I am proud for you to know Rubin, I am ashamed to tell this story.  Having worked on medal of valor issues for two years, I have come to believe that senior military officers, through their prejudicial, have brought dishonor to the process of awarding of the Medal of Honor.  Even now, I am appalled by the impossibly high standards that currently are imposed.  It is outrageous that only two men have received the MOH in the War on Terror, a far cry from the 240 who received the Medal during Vietnam.  We need to be sure that the most heroic among us are honored.  That is the kind of country Tibor Rubin deserves.