The White House has revealed a poignant upcoming event: President Trump awarding the Medal of Honor to three soldiers whose wartime exploits embody unparalleled gallantry. On March 2, honors go to two posthumous recipients from WWII and Afghanistan, plus a Vietnam veteran, for actions defying death itself.
Roddie Edmonds, Master Sergeant, turned a Nazi death trap into a unity triumph in 1945 Germany. At Stalag IXA, facing execution threats to isolate Jewish POWs, he commanded every American captive—all 1,200—to stand unified. A pistol to his head didn’t faze him; invoking war crimes, he compelled the commandant’s retreat unharmed.
His later defiance scattered evacuation lines, stranding guards and preserving lives until Allied rescue.
Afghanistan, 2013: Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis faced apocalypse at FOB Ghazni. Enemy tactics blended bombs, blasts, artillery, and gunfire. He herded soldiers to safety, then plunged back for the hurt. Breached defenses met his rifle’s fury alongside a partner officer, thwarting invasion.
A rebel’s suicide rush ended with Ollis’ sacrificial block—felling the attacker but succumbing to the explosion.
In Vietnam, September 1968, Command Sgt. Maj. Terry Richardson charged hellfire near Loc Ninh three times for wounded buddies under NVA onslaught. Scaling sniper-pinned Hill 222—an enemy stronghold—he directed seven hours of air fury while bleeding, saving 85 by declining aid.
Since Civil War inception, over 3,500 have claimed this supreme Medal, Congress-endorsed by presidents for heroism eclipsing duty.