Today was an historic and undoubtedly memorable day for Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, the 25-year-old Hiawatha, Iowa native who in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House became the first living recipient of the prestigious Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War for his courageous actions during a Taliban ambush in eastern Afghanistan thee years ago.
During today's ceremony, as he hung the coveted pale blue ribbon around Giunta's neck, President Barack Obama was reportedly effusive and complimentary. On USA Today's White House blog, David Jackson notes that Obama called Giunta "as humble as he is heroic" and "a low key guy" who "doesn't seek the limelight." Obama also reportedly said, "Let me go off script... I really like this guy."
Giunta didn't think he deserved the medal, Obama reportedly added, but "it was your fellow soldiers who recommended you for it."
