The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President in the name of Congress, and is conferred only upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States." Due to the nature of its selection criteria, it is often awarded posthumously, with more than half of all awards since 1941 given to individuals who were deceased. As the award citation includes the phrase "in the name of Congress", it is sometimes erroneously called the "Congressional Medal of Honor". The official title, however, is simply the "Medal of Honor".
Members of all branches of the armed forces are eligible to receive the medal, and there are three different versions (one for the Army, one for the Air Force, and one for the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard). The Medal of Honor is presented directly to the recipient (or for posthumous awards, to the next of kin) by the President of the United States on behalf of the US Congress, a procedure and ceremony intended to represent and recognize the gratitude not just of the American government, but of the American people as a whole. Due to its honored status, the medal is afforded special protection under U.S. law.
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC. Letterman recently surpassed friend and mentor Johnny Carson for having the longest late-night hosting career in the United States of America.
Letterman is also a television and film producer. His company Worldwide Pants produces his show as well as its network follow-up The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Worldwide Pants has also produced several prime-time comedies, the most successful of which was Everybody Loves Raymond, currently in syndication.
In 1996, David Letterman was ranked #45 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.
Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. His father, Harry Joseph Letterman (April 1915 – February 1973), was a florist of British descent; his mother Dorothy Letterman (née Hofert, now Dorothy Mengering), a Presbyterian church secretary of German descent, is an occasional figure on the show, usually at holidays and birthdays.
Michael Thornton (born 1856, date of death unknown) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.
Born in 1856 in Ireland, Thornton immigrated to the United States and joined the Navy from Pennsylvania. By August 26, 1881, he was serving as a seaman on the tugboat USS Leyden. On that day, while Leyden was near Boston, Massachusetts, Landsman Michael Drennan jumped overboard because he was "temporarily insane". Thornton jumped in after him and kept him afloat until they could be rescued. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor three years later, on October 18, 1884.
Thornton's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For jumping overboard from the U.S. Tug Leyden, near Boston, Mass., 26 August 1881, and sustaining until picked up, Michael Drennan, landsman, who had jumped overboard while temporarily insane.
Dakota L. Meyer (born June 26, 1988) is a United States Marine Corps veteran and recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Ganjgal on September 8, 2009, part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Kunar province, Afghanistan. He is the third living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War, and the first living United States Marine in 38 years to be so honored.
Meyer was born in Greensburg, Kentucky in 1988, where he grew up and attended school. In 2006, after graduation from Green County High School, he enlisted in the Marine Corps at a recruiting station in Louisville, Kentucky and was sent to Recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.
After completing training to be a United States Marine he deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, in 2007 as a Scout Sniper with 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines. He gained national attention for his actions in Afghanistan during his second deployment in Kunar province with Embedded Training Team 2-8.
On September 8, 2009, near the village of Ganjgal, Meyer learned that three U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman were missing after being ambushed by a group of insurgents. He charged into an area known to be inhabited by insurgents and under enemy fire. Meyer eventually found all four dead and stripped of their weapons, body armor, and radios. With the help of some friendly Afghan soldiers, he moved the bodies to a safer area where they could be extracted. During his search, Meyer "personally evacuated 12 friendly wounded, and provided cover for another 24 Marines and soldiers to escape likely death at the hands of a numerically superior and determined foe."
Marching hours to another new field
Bombs meet bodies on this crazy wheel
Breaking bullets, loaded guns
You repent of your sins with a medal of honour
Shades of happiness are lost in me
Thinkin' of you and me, we felt complete yeah!
I won't blame my choice to be here again
The sky will fall, this war will last forever
My flesh and bones hurt
We're running through the never
Honour, honour, means nothing at all
(When) people lyin' into the unknown
Father, father, I will return
I won't close my eyes 'til I return no I won't!
I'm twisting and turning
I'm smashing, killing, this is war!
The sky will fall, this war will last forever
My flesh and bones hurt
We're running through the never
Honour, honour, means nothing at all
(When) people lyin' into the unknown
Father, father, I will return
The sky is bright but that's no sun
It's just the monsters we've become
Training the youth to war machines
And taking down the enemy
"Defend your freedom", "Where's your pride?"
And if you make it out alive
You'll realize what you're fighting for
Your stupid greed, this bullshit war
Obey or decay - The American Way
Volunteer your life away
Pray that tomorrow you'll see the day
Sign your name on the dotted line
Retreat, reload, you're out of time
Drop the bombs, search and destroy
Dead souls come home, more are deployed
Your son's coming home with an American flag
Wrapped around his body bag
Your crucifix won't get you through
Leave your god and faith behind you
Collect the dogtags, count the dead
Raise the flags, do it all again
Desecrate then celebrate, and liberate (liberate! )
Volunteer your life away
Pray that tomorrow you'll see the day
Sign your name on the dotted line
Retreat, reload, you're out of time
Volunteer your life away [2x]
Pray tomorrow you'll see the day [2x]
Lost another one today [2x]
Fly the fucking flags and walk away
[2x]
Volunteer your life away