Posted by
Defend America on Sunday, July 12, 2009 12:03:10 AM
July 12,
1862
Medal of Honor created
President
Abraham Lincoln signs into law a measure calling for the awarding of a
U.S. Army Medal of Honor, in the name of Congress, "to such
noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish
themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier-like
qualities during the present insurrection." The previous December,
Lincoln had approved a provision creating a U.S. Navy Medal of Valor,
which was the basis of the Army Medal of Honor created by Congress in
July 1862. The first U.S. Army soldiers to receive what would become
the nation's highest military honor were six members of a Union raiding
party who in 1862 penetrated deep into Confederate territory to destroy
bridges and railroad tracks between Chattanooga, Tennessee, and
Atlanta, Georgia.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Article&id=5172
July 12, 1965
First Marine wins Medal of Honor
Viet
Cong ambush Company A of the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, led by
U.S.M.C. Lt. Frank Reasoner of Kellogg, Idaho. The Marines had been on
a sweep of a suspected Viet Cong area to deter any enemy activity aimed
at the nearby airbase at Da Nang.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Article&id=1962
July 12,
1984
Ferraro named vice presidential candidate
Walter
Mondale, the leading Democratic presidential candidate, announces that
he has chosen Representative Geraldine Ferraro of New York as his
running mate. Ferraro, a daughter of Italian immigrants, had previously
gained notoriety as a vocal advocate of women's rights in Congress.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=VideoArticle&id=5173