Obama awards Medal of Honor to 2 Army privates killed during Korean War
5/2/2011WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has bestowed the nation’s highest military honor on two Army privates killed during the Korean War.
Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano of Hawaii and Henry Svehla of New Jersey during a somber ceremony Monday at the White House. The event was tinged by the news that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S forces.
Kaho’ohanohano was in charge of a machine-gun squad on Sept. 1, 1951, when enemy forces overwhelmed them. He gathered up grenades and fought the enemy alone until his ammunition ran out, then by hand until he was killed.
Svehla, a rifleman, charged enemy positions when his platoon came under heavy fire on June 12, 1952. He was mortally wounded after throwing himself on a grenade.