Those who have been there never forget. The shadow of death looms large, blanketing friend and foe alike in a nervous panic. Sweat pours down Marine faces, a trickle that becomes a torrent as the hour of attack nears. In death's darkness, senses evolve and truth is reworked as the war's roar ensues. Noise gives its own precious signal as our warriors fight house-to-house or storm a beach against a heavily fortified enemy.  Adversaries have promised a killing field of piled American corpses stacked like cordwood for the world to see. Little do these enemies know about the soul of a the American Warrior.  As battle nears, they drop a knee and declare allegiance to God and country. As the fight passes, the sounds of war are eternally ingrained, just as it was for their fathers and fathers' fathers in the taking of Iwo Jima and in the storming of Normany. Combat's hell evokes sensations. Ears hear all.  In war's rumble, our eyes betray us, seeing what the mind wants to believe. For a bloodied Marine, knowing and wanting are two different things.  Knowing can save your life, wanting can kill you. Ears hear the man next to you falling, bullets whistling past your face, or the cries of someone ten feet away who is about to breathe his last breath.

March 25 has been set aside to celebrate the Medal of Honor.  Only two years old, this special day could pass into oblivion unless veterans and citizens undertake the responsibility to ensure that courage matters.  We desperately need to find ways to honor those who have demonstrated enormous courage.  I invite veterans' organizations to join with me to develop a program in the Sand hills that will educate our citizens, especially school age children who think the only heroes in our lives are action heroes, gang bangers, or drugged-up NFL stars. 

As I write these words, I know that there is a grandfather someplace somewhere is this great nation bouncing a baby girl on his knee because of the action that our heroes took one day in total selflessness. It this free spirit why we have a great nation. 

Courage is infectious.  Truly remarkable courage is remarkably infectious. Winston Churchill said:  "Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities . . . because it is the quality which guarantees all others." It is guts that are the essence of this nation, the building block for remaining virtues. While examples of courage are found everywhere and everyday, a nation's history is defined by courage demonstrated on the battlefield. Reflect on the import of Sergeant York and Audie Murphy. Whose story will parents of young children share to explain to them the American Character when challenged by terrorism and radical fundamentalism?

Since 1863, American servicemen have been rewarded medals for exceptional courage above and beyond the call of duty. That said, no living soldier or Marine has been awarded the Medal of Honor since the days of Vietnam.  In fact, only one member of our armed forces, Gordon Ray Roberts, now serving at Walter Read Army Hospital, holds this precious medal today, which he earned 40 years ago in Vietnam.  For Vietnam, we awarded 247 Medals of Honor.

The Pentagon is stealing the Medal of Honor from our bold warriors. Dozens of servicemen merit the Medal but have been denied. Rather than honoring the bravest, those involved in the process have invented ways to deprive our warriors who have revealed great fortitude.  In one case, a pathologist postulated that a Marine was shot too many times in critical places to do what was claimed (falling on a grenade).  The pathologist's "theory" flew into the face of eyewitness testimony who were overruled. Little does this doctor know about our young warriors. Rumors fly that "character" issues hold some back. According to the law, nothing is to be weighed save the valor "above and beyond the call of duty." Paradoxically, the Pentagon has distributed other medals by the truckload disregarding traditional standards.

In the halls of the Pentagon, the grunt has few advocates.  That is because most senior officers do not have individual combat awards nor have they cradled a dying warrior taking their last breadth. The acknowledgement of the most daring men and women is losing its urgency.  Based purely on statistics, one might surmise that there isn't much of a war going on even though almost 5,000 men and women have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ultimately, the decision to award the Medal of Honor is the President's who, in turn, is dependent upon the Pentagon's advice. Whatever one wants to say about the last President, it is clear that he did very little to change the situation. In one case, alluded to earlier, the White House evidently buried the Secretary of Navy's request for a Medal of Honor for Marine Sergeant Rafael Peralta.  This man's mother was promised that her son was in line for the Medal before the pathologist intervened to author his assessment.

There is a deeper issue—the matter of fairness in honoring the courageous, making America once again the home of the brave. When you boil all the fat away, this is really a matter of justice in continuing tradition and building upon the legend and folklore that future generations will hold precious. The living MOH winners will tell you that they wear it not only for themselves, but also for their faithful brothers.

The Pentagon shows no awareness of its failure. The top officers believe that nothing is amiss.  Not awarding the Medal means that they cannot make a mistake!  This has a cost. The Medal's impact permeates our culture, which desperately needs heroes.  Military mythology has long been a part of our ethos.  We looked to our early military heroes for political leadership.  In fact, all but six presidents have served in the military.  No one can claim to speak for the brave. While I am no hero, I did spill blood in combat as a Marine rifleman in Vietnam.  For two years I volunteered every Saturday at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and on more than one occasion I went home in tears. For forty years I have often reflected about those who gave it all while asking for nothing in return.

As I enter the autumn of life, I see the legacy of heroes slowly eroding in our lives. The hands at the heart of this process are military hands and it is they who are stealing the acknowledgement that is owed to so many who have deeply honored this country in Afghanistan and Iraq. If the Pentagon is allowed to fail them this nation will be cheated and future history denied.  That is precisely why a "Medal of Honor" Day is necessary—to remind the Pentagon of its duty.

The protagonist in warrior folklore is an individual who has marched into the shadow of death not knowing if they would come out on the other side. As we move into the 21st century, the idea of "hero" is rapidly losing its significance, a tragic loss to our history. Our secular culture is repressing all things military as if those who fulfill their duty are less worthy for their service. History is fragile, subject to the whims of the times.  Yet, the argument for heroes can be made if only to inspire the ranks that follow that spawn the hero. It is those who carry out inconceivable feats in the face of overwhelming adversity that give our way of life perspective and depth. By their courage, heroes raise standards and deepen our sense of the possible. It takes an uncommon person to take matters into their own hands.  We are a nation that is blessed by its heroes.  Let us not forget.