March 18, 2014 - When Sergeant First Class Jose Rodela is in Washington, D.C., this week, he wants to visit the Vietnam Memorial to see the names of his friends who died in combat on the Vietnam Memorial."I want to see their names there on the black wall, and the Pentagon," Rodela told CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin in an interview. "That's the reason why I'm going there. Just to find their names on the wall."
Rodela will certainly find the time to see his friends' names. But he what brings him to Washington in the first place is the Medal of Honor. He is one of three living veterans who received the award from President Obama on Tuesday, along with 21 others who are being honored posthumously.
All 24 Army veterans, who span World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, previously received the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second-highest military award. In 2002, Congress called for a review of Jewish American and Hispanic American veteran war records to ensure that none were denied a Medal of Honor because of prejudice. Along the way, several soldiers who were neither Jewish nor Hispanic were identified as having displayed criteria worthy of the medal, and so they were included among those veterans receiving an upgrade.
"This ceremony reminds us of one of the enduring qualities that makes America great, that makes us exception," Mr. Obama said at the ceremony. "No nation is perfect but here in America we confront our imperfections and face a sometimes painful past." read more>>>
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