M. Spencer Green / The Associated Press Medal of Honor recipient Sammy Davis shakes hands with Spc. Brandie Phillips, a member of the Golden Knights parachute team, at the opening ceremonies of the 2009 Medal of Honor convention Sept. 15 at Soldier Field in Chicago. More than 50 recipients of the the nation's most prestigious award for combat veterans are gathered for the annual convention.
Medal of Honor recipients gather in Chicago
By Caryn Rousseau - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 16, 2009 7:35:10 EDT
CHICAGO — Dozens of recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s most prestigious award for combat veterans, were honored Tuesday during the opening ceremony of their annual convention, but offered praise themselves to members of the U.S. military serving abroad.
“They’re the best soldiers in the world today,” said John Baker, 64, of Columbia, S.C., who received his Medal of Honor for evacuating eight wounded soldiers in 1966 during the Vietnam War.
According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, 3,447 individuals have received the medal with 95 living recipients. Six U.S. service members have been chosen for the Medal of Honor during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
read more here
