On February 15, 1951, during the Korean War, Army Pvt. Bruno R. Orig provided critical first aid to his injured comrades and helped move them to safety amid an enemy attack. Taking control of a machine gun post, he held off enemy forces, enabling a friendly platoon to retreat without casualties. Later that day, when the ground was recaptured, Orig was found dead beside the machine gun, surrounded by the enemy combatants he had neutralized.
On Friday, President Joe Biden honored Orig and several others during a White House ceremony, awarding the Medal of Honor to seven men, including six posthumously, and recognizing their extraordinary acts of valor. In a separate Oval Office ceremony, Biden also presented the Medal of Valor to eight first responders for their life-saving courage.
“These are heroes of different ranks, different positions, and even different generations,” Biden remarked during the Medal of Honor ceremony. “They all went above and beyond the call of duty.”
Among those honored was Pfc. Wataru Nakamura, who destroyed an enemy machine gun nest, recaptured bunkers, and continued fighting even after running out of ammunition before being killed by a grenade. Nakamura was buried in Los Angeles. Army Cpl. Fred B. McGee was recognized for his bravery near Tang-Wan-Ni, Korea, on June 16, 1952, where he assumed command of his squad, neutralized an enemy machine gun, and rescued the wounded. McGee, originally from Ohio, passed away in 2020.
Army Pfc. Charles R. Johnson of Millbrook, New York, held off Chinese forces during the Korean War on June 12, 1953, saving up to 10 soldiers before being killed in action. Army 1st Lt. Richard E. Cavazos, who later became a four-star general, stayed behind alone during a raid near Sagimak to evacuate five casualties. Cavazos, a Texan, passed away in 2018, and Fort Hood was renamed in his honor on May 9, 2023.
During the Vietnam War, Army Capt. Hugh R. Nelson Jr. of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, sacrificed his life on June 5, 1966, while rescuing two specialists from a crashed helicopter, shielding one from enemy fire. On May 7, 1970, Army Pfc. Kenneth J. David, still living, drew enemy fire away from injured comrades in Vietnam, sustained injuries himself, and safeguarded Medevac helicopters until evacuation was complete.
In his remarks, Biden reflected on his presidency, calling it the greatest honor of his life to lead the nation and “the finest military in the history of the world.”
The Medal of Valor recipients included law enforcement officers who responded to the March 27, 2023, shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Sgt. Jeffrey Mathes, Officer Rex Engelbert, and Detectives Michael Collazo, Ryan Cagle, and Zachary Plese of the Nashville Police Department were recognized for their heroic actions in neutralizing the shooter and protecting lives.
Additional recipients included Sgt. Tu Tran of the Lincoln, Nebraska, Police Department, who swam into a freezing pond on February 22, 2023, to rescue a woman from a sinking vehicle, and New York City firefighter Lt. John Vanderstar, who saved a mother and child from a burning apartment on October 23, 2022. Fellow firefighter Brendan Gaffney was honored for rescuing an unconscious child and a pregnant woman from a separate apartment fire.
