Medal of Honor Hero wants to go back to duty

William Swenson Awarded Medal Of Honor, Asks To Return To Duty
Huffington Post
By LOLITA BALDOR
10/16/13

WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON (AP) — The former Army captain who received the Medal of Honor on Tuesday has asked to return to active duty in the Army, a rare move by an officer who has lived to wear the military's highest award.

Two U.S. officials tell The Associated Press that William D. Swenson has submitted a formal request to the Army and officials are working with him to allow his return.

Swenson was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in the White House Tuesday afternoon for risking his life to recover bodies and save fellow troops during a lengthy battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border in 2009.
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Capt. William D. Swenson receives Medal of Honor, finally

UPDATES

Hagel apologizes for delay in Swenson's Medal of Honor
The Associated Press
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Published: October 16, 2013

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is apologizing to Medal of Honor recipient William Swenson for having to wait so long for the Army to recognize his heroism.

Hagel says the Army, which lost the medal paperwork, corrected the wrong, but he's sorry Swenson and his family had to endure the processing problems.

Hagel spoke during a Pentagon ceremony inducting Swenson into the Hall of Heroes.
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Fallen Marine's mother fought for Swenson's Medal of Honor
Tampa Tribune, Fla.
By Howard Altman
Published: October 15, 2013

For Susan Price, who arrived in Washington, D.C., from her home in Riverview on Monday afternoon, the trip to the nation’s capital was years in the making.

It was a journey that began after a deadly Afghanistan ambush took her son’s life on Sept. 8, 2009. And it continued through an often torturous bureaucratic process to bring recognition to one of those who recovered her son’s body during the battle.

At 2:10 p.m. today, the journey will culminate in the West Wing of the White House as President Barack Obama slips the Medal of Honor around the neck of William Swenson, a former Army captain who repeatedly risked his life to recover the body of Marine Staff Sgt. Aaron Kenefick and three others.

Price will be there to watch it.

“I will be witnessing history on behalf of my son and his fallen brothers,” says Price. “It’s about time.”
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