Posthumous Medal of Honor posthumously to Pa. man

[DaveH]

I thought Congress awarded

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2...t21-ar-516729/

Obama awards Medal of Honor posthumously to Pa. man

WASHINGTON — An airman killed during combat in Laos in 1968 is being honored with the nation's highest military award.
President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor on Tuesday to Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger. The airman's three sons joined Obama in saluting their father's heroism during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Sig 210]

Congress plays no part in the award of military decorations.

[DaveH]

It is my understanding that it is "presented" by the POTUS, not "awarded" by the POTUS.

Wikipedia is known to be wrong, but

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor

There are two distinct protocols for awarding the Medal of Honor. The first and most common is nomination and approval through a service member's chain of command. The second method is nomination by a member of Congress (generally at the request of a constituent) and approval by a special act of Congress. In both cases, the Medal of Honor is presented by the President on behalf of the Congress.

and

http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/h...goldMedal.html

Since the American Revolution, Congress has commissioned gold medals as its highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. Each medal honors a particular individual, institution, or event. Although the first recipients included citizens who participated in the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, Congress broadened the scope of the medal to include actors, authors, entertainers, musicians, pioneers in aeronautics and space, explorers, lifesavers, notables in science and medicine, athletes, humanitarians, public servants, and foreign recipients.

In addition to the requirement that all Congressional Gold Medal legislation must be cosponsored by at least two-thirds (290) of the Members of the House, specific standards are set forth by Rule III (f)(1)(A) of the House Committee on Financial Services's Subcommittee on Domestic Policy and Technology when considering such legislation. Additionally, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee requires that at least 67 Senators must cosponsor any Congressional Gold Medal legislation before the committee will consider it.

[DaveH]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/21/med...ient/?hpt=Sbin

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...a-secret-hero/

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpu...-of-honor.html

http://www.stripes.com/news/veteran-...erger-1.118933

[old grunt]

LONG overdue. A true unsung hero.