let s give both families a big round of applause. anthony and for henry. [ applause ] please join me in prayer. gracious god, you stirred our heart as we heard the accounts of two great american soldiers who valued the lives of those under their care more than their very own. you told us in the holy scripture there is no greater love than this, and so would you etch this eternal truth in our own hearts as we carry out our responsibilities to you, our families and our great nation. bless the young men and women of our armed services who walk in
they were subjected to intense enemy automatic weapons and small arms fire at the top of the hill. coming under heavy fire, the platoon s attack began to falter. realizing the success of mission and the safety of the remaining troops were in peril, private first class svehla leapt to his feet and charged the enemy positions, firing his weapon and throwing grenades as he advanced. in the face of his courage and determination, the platoon rallied to attack with renewed vigor. private first class svehla utterly disregarding his own safety destroyed enemy positions and inflicted heavy casualties. when suddenly fragments from a mortar round exploding nearby seriously wounded him in the face. despite his wounds, private first class svehla refused medical treatment and continued to lead the attack. when an enemy grenade landed among a group of his comrades, private first class svehla, without hesitation, and undoubtedly aware of extreme danger, threw himself upon the
medals of honor to private first class anthony kaho ohanohano of hawaii and private first class henry svehla of new jersey, both for their actions in korea in 1951 and 1952 respectively. and, of course, also mentioning that the world is a safer place because of the death of al qaeda leader osama bin laden. that was the announcement that the president made a little more than 12 hours ago. and today speaking at the white house, he says it shows that the united states has kept its commitment to seeing that justice is done. chris matthews is the host of hard ball on msnbc. in this case, the president laid this out as a top priority from the get-go. he said to his top leaders, give me the plan, show me the plan, let s get it done. today has got to be a good day for the president as well. yes, i think it is about clarity of purpose, and competence. i think we all judge each other, whether we re married to
it should quiet some of the questions and concerns. the crowd has been told that the president is on his way in. this is the crowd that has gathered now in the east room to honor private first class anthony kaho ohanohano of hawaii who served in korea in 1951 and will receive a medal of honor there. there you re seeing the president. the other private first class, henry svehla of new jersey who is being awarded the medal of honor for his actions in 1952. to commemorate the noble lives and sacrifices of two of our nation s precious sons. privates first class anthony kaho ohanohano and henry svehla. those stirred by news of the past 24 hours, we pause in these moments to remember the heroic combat actions taken by these two soldiers on the korean peninsula, some 60 years ago. both anthony and henry responded fearlessly against an enemy onabsolute and saved the lives
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