Sep 25 2010
Soldier Profiled in War Receives Medal of Honor
On Sept 10th, the White House announced that Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta (one of the soldiers profiled in Sebastian Junger‘s most recent book War) will become the first American soldier since the Vietnam War to receive the Medal of Honor non-posthumously, the nation’s highest award for valor in combat. Giunta was honored for his courage in pulling two wounded soldiers to safety while under enemy fire, and then single-handedly rescuing a third critically wounded squad-mate who was being dragged away from the battle by Taliban fighters. He is just one of the many soldiers of Battle Company whom the reader meets in Junger’s gripping and immersive account of his year embedded with a paratroop company in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. The section of War that describes the firefight for which then-specialist Giunta received the Medal of Honor occurs mid-way through the book and showcases Junger’s in-depth prose style. Continue Reading »
