Above and Beyond the Call of Duty

The first formal system for rewarding acts of individual gallantry by the nation's fighting men was established by General George Washington on August 7, 1782.

Designed to recognize "any singularly meritorious action," the award consisted of a purple cloth heart. Records show that only three persons received the award: Sergeant Elijah Churchill, Sergeant William Brown, and Sergeant Daniel Bissel Jr.


Although it was created for the Civil War, Congress made the Medal of Honor a permanent decoration in 1863.

It is our country's highest award. The following are two "typical" examples of valor, above and beyond the call of duty.


As a gunner aboard a B-17 bomber, Sergeant Maynard "Snuffy" Smith's craft was subjected to intense enemy fire over France during WWII. The B-17 was hit several times, two of the crew were gravely injured, the aircraft's oxygen system was destroyed, and several vital control cables were severed when intense fires ignited. With the aircraft literally melting in the air, Sgt. Smith elected to single-handedly administer first aid, extinguish the fires and man the waist guns against attacking aircraft. With onboard ammunition now detonating in the B-17 due to intense heat, Smith threw the exploding ammunition overboard, then fought the white-hot fire until all extinguishers were spent. Wrapping his hands in cloth, Sgt Smith was then able to extinguish the remaining fires and save the aircraft's crew. This was Sergeants Smith's first combat mission.


While on a B-24 bombing run, Lieutenant Colonel Leon Vance's aircraft was repeated hit, killing the pilot and severely wounding Vance, who nearly had his right foot severed. With three of the four engines lost, Vance was still able to drop a load of bombs on his target. As the bomber limped towards its airfield in England, Vance ordered everyone to bail out. Learning that one of the crew was unable to jump, Vance opted to ditch the plane in the English Channel to give the man a change to survive. However, Vance's foot became tangled behind the co-pilot's seat, hanging on by a few tendons. Unable to move, Vance lay on his belly, and made a successful landing in the water using only elevator controls. As the aircraft began to sink, Vance was still trapped, but pushed the other crewman clear of the aircraft. The aircraft then exploded, possibly from the high octane gasoline it carried, blowing Vance clear of the sinking plane. This mission was Vance's second and last combat mission. One month later, while returning to the U.S.A., the C-54 aircraft carrying wounded servicemen went down somewhere near Iceland. The bodies were never recovered and he remains Missing in Action.

These brave heroes and their actions, along with so many others... should never be forgotten. Please put some "memory" into Memorial Day.

I salute and thank all of our fighting men and women. You have made and kept, America the land of the free.