ARLINGTON, Va., - Valor.
This word is used to describe the members of the U.S. military who, at the risk of personal injury or death, chose to go above and beyond the actions normally expected of them. It is also engraved on the nation's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor.
Since 1898 and the Spanish-American War, there have been about 1,520 recipients of the Medal of Honor, to include about 126 from the Air and Army National Guard.
Of those awarded the medal from the Guard, only six are still living.
Retired Air Force Col. George Day is one of the living National Guard Medal of Honor recipients.
According to his bio, Day was serving in the Army Reserve in 1950, when he received a direct commission into the Iowa Air National Guard as a second lieutenant. In 1957, he was augmented into the regular Air Force with the rank of captain.
His Medal of Honor citation states that on Aug. 26, 1967, Day ejected from his aircraft after it took enemy fire over North Vietnam. He was immediately captured by enemy forces and taken to a prison camp where he endured severe torture and interrogation.
Day managed to escape and survived the about 20-mile trek to South Vietnam and the Demilitarized Zone, only to be captured again. He was returned to his original camp and endured more severe treatment for his attempted escape. Day was moved to several other prison camps, where he continued to endure torture, starvation and periodic beatings.
On March 14, 1973, Day was released after five years and seven months as a prisoner of North Vietnam. Within days, he was reunited with his wife and four children.
In 1976, then President Gerald R. Ford awarded Day the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War.
The dictionary definition of valor is "strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness."
Day's actions during the Vietnam War fit well within this definition, but he is not alone.
Another of the living National Guard Medal of Honor recipients is retired Army 1st Sgt. Nicky D. Bacon.
During an interview in Nov. of 2005, 1st Sgt. Bacon said that he joined the Arizona Army National Guard on Sept. 10, 1963.
He said that he credits his motivation to join the Guard to a first sergeant at his local Guard unit, Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 158th Infantry.
In December of 1964, Bacon left the Guard to join the regular Army. The National Guard gave me a taste of the military, and I liked it, he said in the interview.
His Medal of Honor citation says that in 1967, while serving near Tam Ky, Vietnam, Bacon and his men came under fire from an enemy bunker to the front. Bacon quickly organized his men and destroyed the bunker with grenades, but his platoon leader had been wounded in the fight.
Bacon took command of the platoon and assaulted the enemy position, single-handedly taking it out. Shortly after, another platoon joined his position, which also had an injured platoon leader.
Ignoring his own personal safety, Bacon climbed up on the deck of a tank and directed fire into the enemy positions. His actions resulted in his company eliminating the enemy forces and rescuing wounded men trapped to the front of their position.
In 1969, Bacon was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon at a White House ceremony for his actions during the Vietnam War.
Day and Bacon are only two of the many living examples of what servicemembers are capable of in the face of danger, not only in the National Guard, but in every branch of the military service.
March 25 has been designated Medal of Honor Day, and on this day a nation will honor those who have been awarded our highest military decoration.