Four of the 60 living recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor were presented with their awards by President-Elect Donald Trump during his first term in the White House.
The nation’s highest award for courage and valor in combat, only 3,538 have been awarded in total in the 150 years since its inception. Just under 20% of them were awarded posthumously. Nineteen of those recipients have been awarded twice.
Staff Sergeant David G. Bellavia was awarded the Medal of Honor on June 25, 2019, for actions he took on November 4, 2004, that likely saved the lives of others in his unit.
After finding insurgents in a building that they were attempting to clear, Bellavia laid down suppressive fire in order for his men to evacuate safely. Once they were all out, instead of making a quick escape, Bellavia went back into the building to take out the remaining enemy soldiers, stopping only when…
