#2 Masked from public view, two of the U.S. militaryÂ’s elite special operations commandos have been awarded medals for bravery
"For his heroism, Captain McGonagle a year later received the nation's highest award, the Congressional Medal of Honor. The citation that accompanied the medal gave him a well deserved salute: '[McGonagle] with full knowledge of the seriousness of his wounds, subordinated his own welfare to the safety and survival of his command.... Despite continuous exposure to fire, he maneuvered his ship, directed its defense, supervised the control of flooding and fire, and saw to the care of the casualties....He [later] refused much-needed medical attention until convinced that the seriously wounded among his crew had been treated....'
Breaking with time-honored tradition, the President of the United States took no personal part in the presentation ceremony... the medal was given to McGonagle by the Navy secretary in an unpublicized ceremony at the obscure Washington Navy Yard." - Ibid. |