The 150th anniversary celebrating Medal of Honor recipients took place in Louisville, KY. On September 26, 2011, MOH recipients arrived in Louisville. They were greeted by Patriot Guard members and civilians wanting to show support for these national heroes.
On September 29, 2011 the MOH ceremony was held. The show was hosted by Dennis Haysbert and Tony Orlando. There were musical performances by Military acts such as 4Troops and Ladies for Liberty. Darryl Worley was there to perform, “Have You Forgotten” as well as some of his other hits. There were also special appearances by local artists.
During the ceremony, Sammy Davis, one of the Medal of Honor recipients, told a story about how he did not write home for a few months and his mother began to worry. She contacted Red Cross and Red Cross contacted the Pentagon who in turn contacted Sammy’s Chain of Command in Vietnam. Sammy was in his foxhole when his NCOI (Noncommissioned Officer In Charge) came to his foxhole and asked Sammy if he had been writing home to his mother. Sammy said he hadn’t. His Captain instructed him to write home every day. Sammy, not wanting his mother to worry about him in Vietnam wrote to her about the mud, bugs and anything else he could find to write about other than the war. He even went so far as to draw one of the millipedes across three MRE boxes and drawing all TEN THOUSAND legs on it. After a month or so of doing this, Sammy received a package from his mother and it had a harmonica and a note that said, ‘Maybe this will keep you from being so bored.’ Sammy was in his foxhole when his NCO came over and asked him if he had gotten a harmonica in the mail. Sammy said yes and the Sergeant asked him to play the song Shenandoah for him. Sammy told him he had never played the harmonica before. The Sergeant went on to tell Sammy that back home he was a college student and worked full time before the draft. He said when things got hectic, he would take a ride to the Shenandoah River, let his feet dangle in the water and when he would return to town that night, he would feel at peace. He then taught Sammy a few chords of the song and would teach him more every time he would see him until Sammy knew the whole song.
His NCOIC was later killed in Vietnam. When Sammy went to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, (dressed in his blues and wearing his MOH) he found his NCO’s name on the wall, reached out and touched it, grabbed his harmonica from his pocket and said, “Sergeant Dunlop, may you be at peace now.” He then played Shenandoah for him one last time.
There have been a total of 3,458 MOH recipients since 1861 when initiated by President Abraham Lincoln. There are a total of 85 MOH recipients living today and 52 of them attended the ceremony in Louisville, KY.
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