Vietnam War Soldier Shares Remarkable Story On Medal Of Honor Day

Unsung War Hero Gets Recognition
CBS Evening News: Vietnam War Soldier Shares Remarkable Story On Medal Of Honor Day

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2009 by David Martin


(CBS) Robert Howard was the toughest, bravest cat in the jungle, but he deserved a better war than Vietnam. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor three times for three separate operations behind enemy lines.

But, as CBS News correspondent David Martin reports, when President Nixon finally awarded him the nation’s highest honor, the ceremony was actually delayed by anti-war protests. He was a war hero at a time when Americans didn’t believe in either the war or its heroes. He was wounded 14 times and has no business being alive.

“Here I come face-to-face with a platoon of enemy soldiers and so I’m standing with my weapon like this, and they fire directly at me and I fell backwards like this, and I didn’t get killed,” Howard explained.

That was just the beginning of the fire fight for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. It ended when, out of ammunition, he called in a 2,000-pound bomb.
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Unsung War Hero Gets Recognition

38 of the soldiers who have received the nation`s highest military honor attended a special ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, including one with a remarkable story. David Martin reports.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 25, 2009

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY


We are grateful to all those who wear the uniform of our Armed Forces and serve and sacrifice on behalf of our great nation. Members of our Armed Forces hold themselves to the highest standards and set an example of responsibility to one another and to the country that should inspire all Americans to serve a purpose greater than themselves. Today we pay our respect to those who distinguished themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty - the recipients of the Medal of Honor.

Since it was first awarded during the Civil War to the current battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, Medal of Honor recipients have displayed tremendous courage, an unfailing determination to succeed, and a humbling willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice. It is telling that so many Medal of Honor recipients received the award posthumously. These soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsman embody the best of American values and ideals.

Medal of Honor recipients are the foremost example of greatness in service and sacrifice. Their bravery and humble strength continues to reassure our nation of the strength of its character and ideals even in these difficult times. We owe these heroes a debt of gratitude that our nation can never fully repay. So, it is on this day that we salute that fact and celebrate their lives and heroic actions that have placed them amongst the "bravest of the brave." We must never forget their sacrifice and will always keep the Fallen and their families in our thoughts and prayers.
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY