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ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va. - Heroes honored heroes
March 25 at Arlington National Cemetery and the Women in
Military Service for America Memorial auditorium.
March 25th is annually remembered as Medal of Honor Day, and
30 MoH recipients gathered to recognize three U.S. citizens
who made life-changing, courageous decisions over the past
year. The three were recognized as the 2014 recipients of
the Citizens Service Before Self award, which is designed to
recognize “everyday citizens.”
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Sitting in the second row, from left,
Troy Yocum, Sharon Landsberry and Connor Stotts pose for photographs
with 30 living Medal of Honor recipients present during the Citizen
Honors Ceremony at the Women in Military Service for America
Memorial March 25, 2014, in Arlington, Va. Yocum and Stotts received
Citizen Service Before Self medals. Landsberry received the medal
for her late husband Michael. (U.S. Army photo by James Goodwin)
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Honored posthumously was Sparks, Nev., middle school teacher
Michael Landsberry, who confronted a gunman and allowed his
students to escape to safety. Landsberry, a former Marine
and member of the Nevada Air National Guard, was fatally
shot Oct. 21, 2013. Accepting the Citizen Honors medal and
commendation was Landsberry's widow, Sharon.
California Eagle Scout Connor Stotts was lauded for rescuing three friends from
ocean riptide currents, and former soldier Troy Yocum was
honored for his endeavors in assisting military families and
veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and
depression.
“These awards serve a critical purpose in
our society to honor the selfless service of everyday
citizens,” said keynote speaker Roger Krone, Boeing Defense,
Space and Security president. “Often in today's world, the
word ‘hero' is used too easily, and its meaning frays in
time and becomes lost. Gathering here at Arlington National
Cemetery, the final resting place for so many who faithfully
served our nation, we renew its meaning by celebrating the
actions of the heroes who are all around us.”
Before
the ceremony, MoH servicemembers joined 3rd U.S. Infantry
Regiment (The Old Guard) and The U.S. Army Band at the Tomb
of the Unknowns for a wreath-laying ceremony in a late March
snow storm.
Escorted by Joint Force
Headquarters-National Capital Region/Military District of
Washington Commander Maj. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, MoH
recipients Gary Beikirch, Hershel Williams, James Taylor and
Clinton Romesha placed a wreath of remembrance at the tomb.
Yocum, a native of Louisville, Ky., walked across
America to help raise $1.3 million to support military
families and currently is heading a community program to
build a retreat in Shepherdsville, Ky., for military
families scarred by veteran suicides. He is inspired by all
who have worn an American military uniform; and
specifically, his grandfather, who suffered from PTSD.
“My grandfather was a World War II veteran and when I
was 1, he took his own life,” Yocum explained. “He suffered
from post-traumatic stress for 40 years. Now, my grandfather
was always my hero, but growing up, I had so many people
telling me athletes and actors are famous and the heroes. I
never felt that way. I always felt that veterans are real
heroes.”
Since the award's inception in 2008, 24
people have received the honor. Nominees considered are
those who have committed an act of “extraordinary heroism”
clearly demonstrating “a willingness to place his or her own
life at risk for others,” according to the Congressional MoH
Foundation website.
More photos available in frame below
By Jim Dresbach, Pentagram
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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