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After listing the total medal count by the highest number of medals won, Yahoo now lists China first due to more Gold medals.

BEIJING – Across the Chinese media, the story has hit saturation coverage. China, once mocked as “the weaklings of Asia,” is going to win what it calls the total medal count for the Beijing Games.

ON Wednesday night Harry Smith uncorked two bottles of fine red wine to celebrate the award of gallantry medals to his men for their role in the epic Battle of Long Tan. "The fat lady has finally sung," Smith told The Australian. ..... The main problem with the retrospective awarding of gallantry medals is deciding what point to stop, says historian Michael McKernan, former head of the Australian War Memorial. He warns of possible legal problems with awarding the Victoria Cross of Australia to World War I heroes, for example. ..... McKernan says it remains incomprehensible that 18-year-old Oerlikon gunner...

A family whose house was raided by police in error is outraged that eight officers involved were honored. Police say the eight, who also took fire, "performed bravely." First, the city apologized. Then it gave awards. Eight Minneapolis officers received medals in City Hall Monday for their valor in a botched raid that the city apologized for last year. That isn't sitting well with the family shot at multiple times by the officers. "I'm shocked that they're receiving awards for that night," said Yee Moua. "My family is a mess right now. My [9-year-old] son, who saw the shooting, still...

On Monday, Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan handed out honors to a team of officers involved in a botched raid at an innocent family's home more than seven months ago. The family is upset and their attorney criticizes the awards and questions the timing. Just days before Christmas, the sound of intruders breaking into their home in North Minneapolis prompted Vang Khang to grab his shotgun to protect his six children. His terrified wife called 911. Khang fired several shots at the "intruders" who turned out to be members of the Minneapolis Police Department's SWAT team. The officers returned fire....

    Major gongs for heroic Our Boys   Award ... Captain Paul Britton is congratulated by Major General Gary Robison    By TOM NEWTON DUNN Defence Editor Published: Today     AN Army officer who led a battle despite a lump of burning shrapnel in his shoulder was one of 19 forces heroes awarded the Military Cross yesterday.   Praise ... Lieutenant General Graeme Lamb  Captain Paul Britton, 28, refused morphine so he could control artillery and air strikes to beat off Taliban attackers in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The Royal Artillery officer was wounded by a rocket-propelled grenade...

KORENGAL VALLEY, Afghanistan, July 12, 2008 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff yesterday took the opportunity to present 12 paratroopers with awards here for valorous and heroic achievements in combat. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen pinned five Army Commendation Medals with valor devices, five Purple Heart Medals, one Bronze Star with valor device, and one Silver Star on the troopers’ chests during a ceremony at their combat outpost here. “It’s an honor and privilege to be here,” Mullen said to the awardees. “This ceremony is about individuals who represent the sacrifice of so many.” The paratroopers are assigned...

THE Returned Services League has called for military personnel and veterans carry to be allowed to carry their medals with them on commercial flights. RSL national president Major General Bill Crews said he knew of at least one incident in which a veteran was told by airport security he could not bring medals on board an aircraft because of the security risk. Maj-Gen Crews said airports should show more trust. "Airport security and the government in particular should recognise that people carrying medals are those whose own service is distinguished by those medals and who have the trust of the...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2008 – Fourteen Defense Department civilians became the first to receive the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism during a ceremony at the Pentagon today. The medal, approved Aug. 7, 2007, recognizes the contribution of DoD civilians operating in direct support of military forces engaged in the war on terror. According to Pentagon statistics, seven DoD civilians have been killed in the line of duty in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Since Sept. 11, 2001, more than 16,000 DoD civilians have qualified for the award, according to Patricia Bradshaw, the deputy undersecretary...

‘BULLIED’: 15-year-old Catrina McDermott, who was suspended for wearing religious badges, one representing St Patrick, the other a guardian angel PICTURE: Courtesy Fermanagh Herald THE Catholic bishops have refused to back the stand taken by a 15-year-old girl suspended from a Catholic school for wearing emblems of her faith. Catrina McDermott was suspended from St Eugene’s College in Roslea, Co Fermanagh, this week because she refused to remove or hide two religious badges. Her parents said the fourth-year pupil had been wearing the St Patrick and guardian angel symbols on her lapel to give her comfort following bullying when she...

There are 24 million Americans with these common memories. In the next few hours, many of the nation's veterans will recall their military service — the highs and lows, the guts and glory — not to mention boots, buddies, commanders, bivouacs, chow, deployments, homecomings. Hoo-ah. Oo-rah. Hip-hip. But wear your medals today. That's an order. The Department of Veterans Affairs has suggested all vets pin on their military decorations on Veterans Day for a well-earned display of personal pride and patriotism. There's more at stake, though. "By wearing our decorations, we show the world the unity of our support for...

An Iraq war veteran said Tuesday he is returning his military medals in what anti-war groups are calling a rare and powerful protest.Josh Gaines, 27, plans to mail the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and National Defense Service Medal to former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He said he would do so during a protest scheduled for today in Madison. "I'm going to give those back because I truly feel that I did not defend my nation and I did not help with the Global War on Terrorism," said Gaines, who lives in Madison. "If anything, this conflict has bred...

Minnesota National Guard soldier who led a fierce firefight south of Baghdad to defend a convoy of 20 trucks and their civilian drivers was awarded Saturday with a Silver Star, the nation's fourth-highest military decoration. "He's a hero, no question about it," Gov. Tim Pawlenty said of Staff Sgt. Chad Malmberg before a crowd of about 1,000 National Guard soldiers and their families in a ceremony at St. Paul RiverCentre. Malmberg, a St. Paul native, is the first Minnesota National Guard member since World War II to receive the medal, which is awarded for gallantry in combat. During the firefight,...

Staff Sgt. Chad Malmberg will become the first Minnesota National Guard member to be awarded the Silver Star medal since World War II during a ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 22. The Silver Star is the fourth highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces and is designated solely for valor in the face of the enemy. Staff Sgt. Malmberg demonstrated ‘gallantry in action’ while deployed to Iraq with the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry Division. Malmberg is credited with taking immediate action when his convoy was...

A follow up on the East Texas Marine that had his car stolen. 20 year old Blake Weller, a Marine from Whitehouse, is on leave and, just three days ago, his car was stolen along with his uniform and medals, including a purple heart. Police were able to get his car back and now the suspected thief is in jail. But Blake said he is still missing the thing most important to him. About 5:45am Monday morning Blake received quite a wake up call. "I received a phone call from Tyler PD and they said they have recovered my car...

ExclusiveWar crime: FBI targets fake heroes BY THOMAS ZAMBITO DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERSunday, May 6th 2007, 4:00 AM The FBI is using a new law to nab phonies like Georgia's Richard Thibodeau, who was outed as a fake marine. Federal agents are taking aim at phony war heroes who tell tall tales of battlefield valor and pin bogus medals upon their chests, the Daily News has learned.The FBI's Washington headquarters receives at least 15 tips a week about fake heroes - and most of the information comes from veterans who are furious that the scam artists are demeaning real...

Circulating somewhere in the Pentagon is a list of dozens of soldiers and Marines who committed acts of supreme valor during the war in Iraq. One serviceman, for example, charged a row of Republican Guards under fire, killing 20 enemy soldiers. At least three others jumped on grenades to save their brothers. Yet relatively few medals have been issued in the 4-year-old war. The Medal of Honor, for instance, the highest citation a soldier or Marine can receive, has been handed out only twice since the war began, both times posthumously. By comparison, the military gave 245 Medals of Honor...

2/1/2007 - CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AFNEWS) -- Seven Charleston AFB Airmen were presented Bronze Stars Jan. 29 here by the Air Mobility Command commander in front of their families, friends and several hundred military members. Gen. Duncan J. McNabb said these individuals embody the heart of the nation. Awarded the Bronze Stars were: -- Capt. John Clagnaz, the 1st Combat Camera Squadron officer in charge of the Combat Operations Flight, for his performance as OIC of the joint camera operations for the Multinational Corps in Baghdad from May 7 to Sept. 10. Captain Clagnaz led 74 Soldiers, Sailors...

1/31/2007 - LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. (AFNEWS) -- Two explosive ordnance disposal Airmen from the 314th Civil Engineer Squadron received combat medals for their actions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Jan. 30 in a ceremony here. Staff Sgt. Lawrence Lipinski was awarded the Bronze Star and Staff Sgt. Matthew Patnaude received his second Purple Heart for their actions while deployed with the Army's 101st Airborne at Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq. "They define the wingman concept; meeting the objective under the worst of circumstances," said Brig. Gen. Kip L. Self, the 314th Airlift Wing commander who presented the...

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, Jan. 29, 2007 – With the star-studded grand opening just a day away, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard A. Cody yesterday officiated over the first awards ceremony at the Center for the Intrepid here. Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard A. Cody helps Master. Sgt. Daniel Robles, who lost both his legs after an attack in Iraq, stand Jan. 28 during the first awards ceremony at the Center for the Intrepid, a new, state-of-the-art rehabilitation center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Cody awarded Robles the Purple Heart and Bronze Star as his...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2006 -- With National Veterans Awareness Week under way and the national Veterans Day observance on Nov. 11, the Veterans Affairs secretary is urging all veterans to show their pride by wearing their military medals. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Pride initiative encourages all veterans to wear their military decorations this Veterans Day, Nov. 11.  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. R. James Nicholson’s “Veterans Pride” initiative calls on veterans to wear the medals they earned while in uniform this Veterans Day to “let America know who you are and what you did for freedom,”...

Murtha received his Bronze Star V one year after his service and during his campaign for the 22nd Congressional District according to an article from The Daily Courier dated October 21, 1968. The article says he served one year in Vietnam from August 18, 1966 to July 1, 1967 yet he received his Bronze Star over one year later.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Three Fort Bragg soldiers were honored Tuesday with the Silver Star — the Army’s third-highest award for valor in combat — for their actions in Afghanistan. Sgt. 1st Class Bruce Holmes and his team sergeant, Master Sgt. Keith Logsdon, received the medal for a 14-hour battle in a village in southern Afghanistan last year. Staff Sgt. Matthew Keefe received the medal for a separate battle. “I went in and did my job. No one expects to go and get a Silver Star,” Holmes said.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Army News Service, Aug. 10, 2006) – Thirty-one Soldiers from the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) were decorated with honors to include three Silver Star Medals for valorous actions in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in a ceremony here, Aug. 8. The three Silver Star Medal recipients were Master Sgt. Keith Logsdon, Sgt. 1st Class Bruce Holmes and Staff Sgt. Matthew Keefe. The Silver Star Medal, the Army’s third highest award for combat valor is awarded to Soldiers for distinguished gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States during military operations. Maj. Gen. Thomas R....

Jf'nK: "Well, we're not going to resolve this today..." John Bolton: "You got that right..."

WASHINGTON -- In the hierarchy of military medals, the Bronze Star ranks in the top tier. But in the war on terror, some troops have been honored with the medal for going above and beyond the call of duty, while others received it for just getting the job done. For example, the Bronze Star has been awarded to: Army Lt. Col. Andrew MacDonald, Soldier Systems Center chief of staff, for leading a team of military and civilians in delivering equipment to troops in Iraq. U.S. Army Reserve Maj. Patrick Burke for "transporting a hospital" from Pakistan to Afghanistan with "no...

Federal Bureau of Investigations Washington, D.C. Gentlemen: I was very pleased to read about your "sting" investigation and to learn that you have finally uncovered Congressman John P. Murtha for what he has been doing to the people of this Congressional Districy. He has been parading up and doen this 6-county area with a twice-wounded Vietnam War hero background, and even has the audacity to list this in his Congressional Directory. In your investigation, you will discover a phoney! Murtha's own Marine Corp Official Record indicates that he incurred two lacerations during his Vietnam service-- March 22, 1967 -- on...

And let the tourist dollars flow, the parties rage and the protests simmer. The seventh Gay Games - called simply the Gaymes by those in the know - begin Saturday with nearly 12,000 athletes marching into Chicago's Soldier Field and wrap up a week later with closing ceremonies at Wrigley Field. In between, in 30 contests across the city and its suburbs, gay former Olympians will compete alongside weekend warriors in a sprawling event that leaders pride on its inclusiveness. Yes, there will be same-sex pairs figure skating and a "Pink Flamingo Aquatic Show" - but fans can also watch...

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Richard Perez made just one request when he said goodbye to his son on a tarmac at March Air Reserve Base just east of here. "Get back here no matter what," Perez told Rich Jr. Six months later, and one week shy of his return from Iraq, the 19-year-old Marine was killed when a truck accidentally crushed him. At the funeral, Perez asked a military officer about his son's Purple Heart - and was told the military issues the honor only to those killed or wounded in combat. There would be no special medal for Richard...

FORT BRAGG, N.C., May 18 -- Sgt. 1st Class David Lowe and his Special Forces A-team were in their last week in Afghanistan on June 10, 2005, when their base received an urgent call: A small group of 82nd Airborne paratroopers was pinned down in a firefight near the Pakistan border and needed support. "When you're that close to leaving the country and you've survived the whole time, you kind of stand down a little bit," said Lowe, 26, of Lancaster, Pa., recalling that much of the team's equipment was packed. "But they needed help," he said, "so we went,"...

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (AP) -- A proliferation of phony heroes is prompting such groups as The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation to lobby for tougher laws to punish the impostors. The organization reports that there are 113 living recipients of the nation's highest military award, but an FBI agent who tracks the fakes said impostors outnumber the true heroes. "There are more and more of these impostors, and they are literally stealing the valor and acts of valor of the real guys," said Agent Tom Cottone, who also works on an FBI violent crime squad in West Paterson, New Jersesy..." [snip][snip]...

  The Freeper Canteen Looks At The Global War On TerrorExpeditionary Medal Bush Establishes Medals for Global War on Terror By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 13, 2003 -- President Bush has issued an executive order establishing two military awards for actions in the global war on terrorism. The president signed the order March 12 establishing the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. A White House spokesman said the medals recognize the "sacrifices and contributions" military members make in the global war on terror. The Global War on Terrorism...

A military veteran was pinned with Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals - more than 60 years after he earned them. Adam Macht served as a combat infantryman during World War II in Tunisia, Algeria and French Morocco. He earned a Bronze Star for heroic service and a Purple Heart for wounds suffered in battle. But he never received them - until Wednesday. "This is a long overdue presentation," Chief Master Sgt. Benito Salinas of the Air National Guard said before pinning the three-inch medals to Macht's green Army jacket. The oversight was uncovered when officials at Cypress Place Senior...

2/17/2006 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The Air Force Uniform Board announced Feb. 6 that the Good Conduct Medal will no longer be awarded. The Air Force director of Airman development and sustainment recently explained the reasons behind this decision. "The quality of our enlisted personnel today is so high, we expect good conduct from our Airmen," said Brig. Gen Robert R. Allardice. "It begged the question, ‘Why do we have a Good Conduct Medal?’" "Having a medal for good conduct is almost to say we don't expect Airmen to do well, but if they're good we will give them a...

SIERRA VISTA — It was in December 1941 when Benjamin Franklin Williams was a private first class, serving with a New Mexico National Guard unit in the Philippines. Japan struck what was then a U.S. territory. A few months later, Williams found himself a prisoner of war. Like many captured in the Philippines, he would spend World War II in Japanese POW camps, where he was forced to work on starvation rations and abused. Some of his teeth were knocked out by a Japanese guard who used the butt of his rifle on Williams after knocking him to the ground...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Vice President Dick Cheney awarded medals for valor in combat to two Army aviators and two infantrymen during a visit with the Combined Joint Task Force-76 troops Dec. 19. Cheney awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor to Staff Sgt. Jonathan Brooks and Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Holland, both infantrymen assigned to 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry (Airborne), for their actions in combat May 30. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Guy Betts, a pilot from Company B, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, received the Air Medal with Valor for engaging the enemy during a medical evacuation mission June...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Dec. 2, 2005) -- If it wasn’t for the selfless actions of Staff Sgt. Anthony B. Speich, ten Afghani troops and a Navy corpsman on the forward element of the Special Forces Operational Detachment, Company C., 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Combined-Joint Special operations Task Force Afghanistan, may have never been able to return home. Speich, a 36-year-old from Rapids, Wis., was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” Device during a ceremony here Dec. 2 for his actions in Afghanistan on the day of April 24, 2005. While leading those 11 men, Speich...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Dec. 2, 2005) -- “ He led from the front,” said 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment Bn. commander Lt. Col. Craig S. Kaczynski during Capt. Patrick M. Rapicault’s Silver Star ceremony Dec. 2. Rapicault assumed command of Weapons Company, 2nd Bn. 5th Marines during his deployment to Iraq while they were in contact with the enemy on 24 September 2004. As company commander, Rapicault led his Marines through 50 firefights and 27 improvised explosive device ambushes between the time he took command of the unit and until he was killed Nov. 15, 2004. For...

TURIN, Italy - No, athletes at the Winter Games are not being rewarded with gold doughnuts — it just looks that way. The new medal design for the Olympics in Turin, unveiled Wednesday, features a hole in the center of the metal disc. While it may appear as though biathletes have been using them for target practice, the medals are actually meant to represent the open space of an Italian piazza, or city square. The medals have the Turin logo on one side and images from various sports and disciplines on the other. The red silk ribbon that goes around...

THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM, "the nation's highest civilian award," was established by Harry Truman in 1945 to recognize notable service in World War II. Eighteen years later, John F. Kennedy, prompted by White House aide Daniel Patrick Moynihan, decided to revive the moribund honor by awarding it to people of distinction--and not just U.S. citizens--who might otherwise remain unrecognized by the American government.The first class of recipients was supposed to get its medals on the Fourth of July, 1963, but for one reason or another, the White House ceremony was repeatedly postponed. By the time it was finally...

11/3/2005 - HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) -- Sixty years after serving in the Army Air Corps, a 7th Fighter Squadron pilot received a Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air Medal. First Lieutenant James Costley, a P-38 pilot in World Word II, received the last of his military decorations in front of three generations of his family, friends and fellow military veterans at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Two Harbors, Minn., on Oct. 25. Lt . Gen. Donald Hoffman, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisitions deputy director, and Brig. Gen. Kurt Cichowski,...

I have done two google searchs to find a bronze star with valor list for marines in Iraq. The closest I got was some stories on individual winners. Looking for a list for 2003-5.

Click here Veteran's Day Notice: How to Wear/Display MedalsThe official U.S. Order of Precedence (how to arrange the wear or display of military medals) is available for veterans who plan to wear their medals on Veterans Day: http://members.aol.com/warlibrary/display -- Roger Simpson, Public Information Officer (13105320634.com) The American War Library (amervets.com) 16907 Brighton Avenue Gardena CA 90247-5420 1-310-532-0634

Multi National Forces Iraq took a moment to recognize another hero of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Colonel H. Coffman Jr. Soundbites from Colonel H. Coffman Jr., Special Assistant for Iraqi Army Security Forces. Produced by 08-30-2005, American Forces Network Iraq. View Video (3.3 MB)

SHREVEPORT, La. - William Lawson looked every bit the retired Marine general this summer as he stood before a crowd of 200 people, demanding that a cemetery properly dispose of the American flags placed at the graves of veterans. He had on khakis, the Marines’ summer service uniform, complete with a general’s stars and row after row of medals, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Good Conduct Medal. He even wore an eyepatch. It turns out, however, that Lawson wasn’t a general at all — or even a World War II combat veteran. His 19 months in...

U.S. Has Record Gold Haul at Track Worlds By BOB BAUM,/AP Sports Writer Sun Aug 14,2005 The United States is bringing home a record haul of gold from the world track and field championships. It won't win one in the women's 1,600-meter relay, though. The U.S. team easily won its preliminary heat Saturday night but was disqualified for "multiple lane violations." The ruling did not say specifically where the infraction occurred. An appeal was denied. It was the second relay foul-up for the United States. The men dropped the baton on the first exchange of the 400-meter relay preliminary Friday...

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday medals should be awarded to British naval workers who saved a Russian mini-submarine and its seven crew. The British team piloted an un-manned underwater probe on Sunday that cut through fishing nets that had ensnared the AS-28 vessel 190 meters (625 feet) below the surface and saved the crew, whose air supply was dwindling. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov met Putin on Wednesday to report on progress in an inquiry into the accident and suggested giving medals to the sailors involved. "I would like to reccomend the decoration of the servicemen --...

H. R. 3352 The Stolen Valor Act of 2005 HR 3352 IH 109th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3352 To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to protections for the Medal of Honor, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 19, 2005 Mr. SALAZAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary --------------------------------------------------------- A BILL To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to protections for the Medal of Honor, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Still in his Army greens, William Tallerdy barely had both feet back on American soil when a man came up to him, demanding to know if he was returning from Vietnam. Then, right there in the airport, the heckler punched the veteran in the face. Tallerdy exploded. The police and his relatives had to restrain him. Soon after, he threw out his war ribbons. That was 1967. "I was always proud of my military service," said Tallerdy, who is now 57 and lives in Cheyenne, Wyo. "It was just that people made me feel like scum." Tallerdy...

AUSTRALIAN troops who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq will be issued with campaign medals by the end of the year. Australian Defence Force personnel who served in Iraq or Afghanistan were entitled to receive the Australian Active Service Medal, which they received soon after the completion of their deployment, Veterans' Affairs Minister De-Anne Kelly said. "Service in Afghanistan and Iraq also entitles members to the award of a campaign medal for service on each deployment," she said. "The first issue of these campaign medals should occur before the end of 2005." The campaign medals were formally approved by the...