Medal of Honor

President Harry S. Truman, center, decorates a soldier during a Congressional Medal of Honor presentation ceremony in the East Room of the White House, as other recipients and guests look on. In the background, standing directly in front of the candelabra, is Press Secretary Charles Ross. Standing in front of the flag, leaning over the table of medals is Major General Harry Vaughan. All others are unidentified.

President Harry S. Truman is shown bestowing the Congressional Medal of Honor on Sergeant Ralph G. Neppel, 21, Glidden, Iowa. Sergeant Neppel is one of 28 soldiers who received this award in the East Room of the White House on this day. Sergeant Neppel lost his legs below the knee in action in Germany, December, 1944. This photo was submitted by the photographer to the third White House News Photographers Photo Contest and is titled "Nation's Highest Honor."

President Harry S. Truman (foreground, left) presents the Congressional Medal of Honor to Mildred D. Dean of Berkeley, California. She received it for her husband, Major General William F. Dean, commander of the 24th Infantry Division who was listed as missing in action. Major General Dean was the first Medal of Honor recipient of the Korean War. Also present in the background are Admiral Robert Dennison (left) and General Robert Landry (right).

President Harry S. Truman, center, is shown in Washington, D.C., shaking hands with four men who he presented the Congressional Medal of Honor to at the White House. All these men received their Medals for their service in the Korean War. From left to right: Captain Raymond Harvey, Pasadena, California; Captain Lewis L. Millett, Haverhill, Massachusetts; President Truman; Sergeant Stanley T. Adams, Olathe, Kansas; Einar H. Ingman, Jr., Tomahawk, Wisconsin.

President Harry S. Truman stands with Korean War veterans after presenting each of them with the Congressional Medal of Honor in the Oval Office at the White House. From left to right: First Lieutenant Carl Dodd, Kenvir, Kentucky; President Truman; Sergeant John A. Pittman, Carrolton (Tullula), Mississippi; and Master Sergeant Ernest R. Kouma, Dwight, Nebraska. Others in the background are unidentified.

President Harry S. Truman, right, presents the Congressional Medal of Honor to Marine Staff Sergeant Archie Van Winkle, 26, of Everett, Washington. Sergeant Van Winkle, a platoon Sergeant of Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, though twice wounded in the same action, led his trapped platoon in a successful charge against a larger enemy force in Korea. Action took place near Sudong, Korea in November, 1950.

President Harry S. Truman stands in the Oval Office at the White House after presenting three Korean War veterans with the Congressional Medal of Honor. From left to right: General Harry Vaughan; unidentified Army officer; Korean War Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant John A. Pittman, President Truman, Secretary of Defense George Marshall, and unidentified Army officer. Others are unidentified.

President Harry S. Truman stands with Korean War veterans after presenting each of them the Congressional Medal of Honor in the Oval Office at the White House. From left to right: Senator Earle Clements of Kentucky (partly obscured); Senator Hugh Butler of Nebraska; Governor Lawrence Wetherby of Kentucky; First Lieutenant Carl Dodd, Kenvir, Kentucky; President Truman; Sergeant John A. Pittman, Carrolton, Mississippi; Master Sergeant Ernest R. Kouma, Dwight, Nebraska; and Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall. Others in the background are unidentified.

President Harry S. Truman, center, is shown awarding the Congressional Medal of Honor to one of the 28 recipients (left) who received the award in the East Room of the White House in front of family and dignitaries. The man standing behind the desk is Major General Harry Vaughan. The dignitaries seated in the front row on the right are (from right to left): Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal; Secretary of War Henry Stimson; unidentified man; General George C. Marshall; Fleet Admiral William Leahy; and General Henry "Hap" Arnold. A group of photographers are visible behind the President.

President Harry S. Truman shakes hands with and greets recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. From left to right: Mike Colalillo; Robert H. Dunlap; Richard M. McCool; President Truman; Vernon McGarity; Frank Burke; Vito R. Bertoldo. The original photo has been retouched.