Medal of Honor, Representative of Disgrace

        Oh, the society that we live in. At the same time that the Medal of Honor is is given out for the first time in decades, a member of the House of Representatives is reelected and then found guilty of 11 counts of ethics violations. Never can there be a time of just pride and honor in the United States, there is always a shadow looming. Although nothing came be taken away from the event of receiving the Medal of Honor, its reflection on the country can be diminished by the conviction of Charles Rangel.
        On November 16th, President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta. The recipient still says that even with his new title he will never be more than Sal to those that are truly important to him. He is just a simple and humble 25-year-old from Iowa, but when his country needed him, he grew into "a soldier as humble as he is heroic" (President Barrack Obama). At the age of 22 in 2007, he ran into enemy fire to help and rescue fellows soldiers when his team was ambushed by insurgents. He continued to complete 2 tours in Afghanistan. He is the first living person to receive the award since the Vietnam War.What he chose to do for his comrades and his country is heroic in and of itself and is made even more so amidst all the skepticism and doubts about the morality and motives behind the mission. He was willing to sacrifice his safety and his life, and did not respect anything in return.  In witnessing his devotion to his country and his mission, I was able to accept the conflict in Afghanistan as more valid then I ever have before. To me, the fact that he was willing to literally put himself in harm's way to protect others, gives more support to the efforts in Afghanistan; because if the American soldiers involved, who have actually witnessed what is going on are willing to do that, then the war must be valid.

      It is just sad to me that something was taken away from the pride that should accompany this event because of what Charles Rangel chose to do and how he betrayed the trust of the country. It is all just in a week of America, I suppose.