On the one hand I want to see him feted and honored in every way imaginable. At the same time, he's a humble midwestern Soldier and is obviously not comfortable with fame.

The news accounts seem to focus primarily on his saving the life of Sergeant Brennan, when in fact his actions disrupted the ambush that would have destroyed his entire platoon. But the tactical concepts are a little difficult to break down, I guess.

Guinta and the rest of TF Rock
 

Sal is a beast along with the rest of the men of 2/503rd Airborne Infantry (TF Rock) from OEF VIII. Alot of great men from this battalion did alot of great things. Too many good men died as well. There are two other MOH nominations pending (both posthusmous) approval from this battalion during this rotation. Attached is a short summary of the Battalion's awards during the rotation. Note, two more soldiers were awarded Distinguished Service Cross's after this was published. [URL="http://www.stripes.com/military-life/rock-solid-battalion-1.92728"]

V/R
Mark

Our office came to a standstill for the past 30 minutes, watching the President award the MOH.

CNN had a picture of SSG Giunta and alongside was a picture of England's Prince William, I like our royalty a lot better.

[QUOTE=Ole crusty bastard;1057925707]CNN had a picture of SSG Giunta and alongside was a picture of England's Prince William, I like our royalty a lot better.[/QUOTE]

I certainly second that.

[QUOTE=Ole crusty bastard;1057925707]CNN had a picture of SSG Giunta and alongside was a picture of England's Prince William, I like our royalty a lot better.[/QUOTE]

Damn straight!

[QUOTE=Purple36;1057925686]Our office came to a standstill for the past 30 minutes, watching the President award the MOH.[/QUOTE]

We did the same. Total silence as we observed. Incredible young warrior! Makes one proud to be an American knowing we have incredible people serving.

His 60 minutes interview was awesome, he called himself a 'mediocre' soldier.

The reporter said, 'not bad for a mediocre soldier'

he replied, just imagine the 'great soldiers'

to say I was moved was an understatement

Outstanding story!

I just watched an interview of this Soldier and I noticed again, that they always do these interviews in Motor pools. What''s the deal. And the soldiers always look out of place, thinking....'why am in a motor pool'... just a random observation.

[QUOTE=The91Bravo;1057925750]His 60 minutes interview was awesome, he called himself a 'mediocre' soldier.

The reporter said, 'not bad for a mediocre soldier'

he replied, just imagine the 'great soldiers'

to say I was moved was an understatement[/QUOTE]

I agree, what a humble man he is.

For those who missed the ceremony:

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2RWscJM97U[/url]

Congratulations SSG Giunta, and Thank You.

Thank you

Pretty cool stuff!

Watching him on Letterman right now

He's doin great.

Saw that. This young man is representing himself and the Armed Services very well. He is modest and would give it all back...... Well Done Staff Sgt.

I DVR'd it so I could watch this morning. Of course Letterman asked all the cliched questions but SSGT Giunta handled it well, and was humble and funny and a great example for our service men and women today. "I just wanted the free t-shirt"! :biggrin:. You could tell he was uncomfortable recounting his heroic deeds.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I'm especially grateful for SSGT Giunta and the many others just like him, on whose shoulders our freedoms rest.

This has moved me on more than one occasion. I am so proud of him!!

Makes you proud to be an American... and want to be a better one.

Thank you

- local

About time we got a living Medal of Honor Awardee. Congrats!!!

"On that ridge in Afghanistan, Salvatore Giunta could not save his sergeant. But he did deprive the enemy of its victory—and death of some of its sting. In that same "60 Minutes" segment, a fellow soldier (who earned a Silver Star in the same firefight) put it this way. "The last thing Brennan ever saw was us," says Sgt. Erick Gallardo. "You know, he saw us fighting for him. . . . We fought for him and he's home with his family now because of that." It's a soldier's gift. Because of Sgt. Giunta, the family of Josh Brennan know that when their loved one breathed his last, he did so knowing he was among friends willing to put their own lives at risk for him."


MAN! If that doesn't get you then nothing will. Way to go American Warrior!

[QUOTE=CCo275;1057933045]"On that ridge in Afghanistan, Salvatore Giunta could not save his sergeant. But he did deprive the enemy of its victory—and death of some of its sting. In that same "60 Minutes" segment, a fellow soldier (who earned a Silver Star in the same firefight) put it this way. "The last thing Brennan ever saw was us," says Sgt. Erick Gallardo. "You know, he saw us fighting for him. . . . We fought for him and he's home with his family now because of that." It's a soldier's gift. Because of Sgt. Giunta, the family of Josh Brennan know that when their loved one breathed his last, he did so knowing he was among friends willing to put their own lives at risk for him."


MAN! If that doesn't get you then nothing will. Way to go American Warrior![/QUOTE]


Job well done Staff Sgt

There is a pretty funny thread elsewhere on this site, talking about the 'pro' football player who said his getting boo'd on the football field was like booing a soldier. What a goober!

SSgt Giunta, on the other hand... although he considers himself "just an average guy". (and for an infantryman, he may be just an average guy) but as an example for kids to look up to, he is far above average. Although HERO has been, in my opinion, grossly overused in the last few years...in this case it fits.

I don't think he is a 'hero' because he 'did his job', as he put it; not because he got shot at, either, tons of people have gotten shot at. I would call him a HERO because of the way he carries himself after the spotlights came on, he rose to that challenge. No tooting his own horn, no attention grabbing end-zone dance, no 'give me my 15 minutes of fame, reality show antics'...just what appears to be a very genuinely good human being. Loves his wife, his country, and the guys he serves with...AWESOME.

This is the role model for our kids today!

SSGT Giunta will be honored at the Bears-Patriots game at Soldier Field in Chicago tomorrow.

It's shame the weather took a turn for the worse, but as a Sun Times article pointed out, he's been through worse.

[url]http://www.suntimes.com/2817756-417/bears-giunta-field-honor-medal.html[/url]

SSG Giunta grew up rooting for the Bears, and I hope he gets another opportunity, or 100, to come back and see them play in slightly better weather.

[QUOTE=CCo275;1057933045][B]"The last thing Brennan ever saw was us," says Sgt. Erick Gallardo. "You know, he saw us fighting for him. . . . We fought for him and he's home with his family now because of that." [/B]It's a soldier's gift. Because of Sgt. Giunta, the family of Josh Brennan know that when their loved one breathed his last, he did so knowing he was among friends willing to put their own lives at risk for him."
[/QUOTE]
Wow. You just can't make this stuff up.

Staff Sergeant Giunta is dropping the Times Square Ball tonight in NYC! Great to see him honored. A true hero.

[url]http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/30/salvatore-a-giunta-to-drop-the-times-square-ball-and-5-other-ne/[/url]

[QUOTE=Walken1;1057941565]Staff Sergeant Giunta is dropping the Times Square Ball tonight in NYC! Great to see him honored. A true hero.

[url]http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/30/salvatore-a-giunta-to-drop-the-times-square-ball-and-5-other-ne/[/url][/QUOTE]

I just saw that, and this was the first time I was able to hear him speak as well. Talk about a humble, meek sounding guy, who obviously accomplished so much. It's amazing how the bravest amongst us are often times the ones who talk softly, and if it wasn't for the rightful recognition of men such as Staff Sergeant Giunta, we night never have the opportunity to recognize these heroes.

God Bless Staff Sergeant Giunta, and all those who he represents!

Best of luck to SSG Giunta, who will end his Army career in June to pursue further education.

[url]http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110208/ap_on_re_us/us_medal_of_honor_giunta[/url]

[QUOTE=Spinner;1057953697]Best of luck to SSG Giunta, who will end his Army career in June to pursue further education.

[url]http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110208/ap_on_re_us/us_medal_of_honor_giunta[/url][/QUOTE]

Saw this earlier. Best of everything to you and yours SSG Giunta, we shall always remember.