New education center at JBLM dedicated to Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. John "Bud" Hawk

John "Bud" Hawk Photo credit: UW

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - A new education center was dedicated in honor of Medal of Honor recipient John “Bud” Hawk in a ceremony Aug. 19. The 87-year-old former WWII Army sergeant  attended the ceremony.

The dedication ceremony began at 10 a.m. at the “John “Bud” Hawk Education Center” on JBLM’s Lewis North. Joining Mr. Hawk at the ceremony were members of his family and friends as well as military and civilian dignitaries.

The dedication came the day before the 67th anniversary of the heroic actions that led to him being awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor. On Aug. 20, 1944, armed with only a light machine gun, Sgt. Hawk helped hold back surrounded German forces attempting to breakout from their encirclement near Chambois, France. Artillery fire injured Sgt. Hawk’s leg and damaged his weapon. Despite his injury, Sgt. Hawk managed to locate another weapon and exposed himself to enemy forces in order to direct anti-tank fire onto the Germans position.

Due to the distance and noise, the American firing team was unable to hear Sgt. Hawk’s firing corrections. According to his Medal of Honor citation, Sgt. Hawk ran back to the firing team “through a concentration of bullets and shrapnel” to give corrected ranges to fire. After giving this report, Sgt. Hawk once again ran back to his position which, once again, exposed himself to enemy fire. Sgt. Hawk remained to direct fire until the German forces surrendered.

President Harry Truman places the Medal of Honor
around the neck of Sgt. John "Bud" Hawk 
in a ceremony on the steps of the state capitol
Photo courtesy: Truman Presidential Library.

President Harry Truman traveled to Olympia to present the Medal of Honor to Sgt. Hawk on the steps of the state capitol. By the time Sgt. Hawk ended his Army career, he was awarded four Purple Hearts to go along with his Medal of Honor. Following the war, he graduated from the University of Washington and would go on to teach, as well as served as principal, in the Central Kitsap School District, Silverdale, Wash. Mr. Hawk resides in Bremerton, Wash.

The new, 31,000-square foot education center, with nine classrooms and auditorium, will be the third facility on JBLM where military members continue their civilian college education. The “John “Bud” Hawk Education Center” will be a satellite facility to the “David L. Stone Education Center” on JBLM Lewis Main; there is also an education center on JBLM McChord Field.



Visit the Home of Heroes website for more information and photos of John D. "Bud" Hawk

Complete information on Sgt. John "Bud"  Hawk's Medal of Honor can be found at the Congressional Medal of Honor Society

The Official Bud Hawk website

Thanks to one of our readers, Scott W. Nickell for telling us about the story.

Marine Corps Cpl. Dakota Meyer to receive Medal of Honor on September 15th 2011

Dakota Meyer Photo credit: Marinesmag

On September 15th, President Barack Obama will award Dakota Meyer, a former active duty Marine Corps Corporal, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. He will receive the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions while serving as a member of Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, Regional Corps Advisory Command 3-7, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on September 8, 2024 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

He will be the third living recipient - and first Marine - to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. He and his family will join the President at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service. Dakota Meyer was born in Columbia, Kentucky on June 26, 1988, attended local public schools. Official White House Statement

Great interview with Dakota Meyer in Marine Corps Times

Video: Marine Corps Times interviews Dakota Meyer, Medal of Honor recipient



See our previous article: U.S. Marine Dakota Meyer to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan

Update: Marine Dakota Meyer to receive Medal of Honor at ceremony @ 2:30 p.m. September 15 2011 at the White House

Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Army Colonel Charles P. Murray, Jr. passes away at 90

Photo Credit: HomeofHeroes.com

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society announces that Colonel Charles P. Murray, Jr., Medal of Honor recipient, passed away Friday, August 12, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina at age 90.

Charles received his Medal of Honor in Salzburg, Austria, presented by Lt. Gen. Geoffrey Keyes, Commanding Gen. U.S. II Corps. on July 5, 1945.

He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy by commanding Company C, 30th Infantry, displaying supreme courage and heroic initiative near Kaysersberg, France, on 16 December 1944, while leading a reinforced platoon into enemy territory, Murray fired from an exposed position, disorganizing the enemy ranks and forcing their withdrawal. He then moved with his patrol to secure possession of a bridge and construction of a roadblock, capturing enemy troops while sustaining injuries.

Charles Murray is survived by his wife Anne and many other family members. Funeral services are pending. There are 84 recipients alive today.

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Read Brian Williams tribute: Medal of Honor: Charles P. Murray, Jr. NBC's The Daily Nightly