the footsteps of both anthony and henry, protecting and defending our lives and freedoms, and, lord, continue to bless and power and give great wisdom to our president, barack obama as he leads our nation in these challenging times. and, god bless america, in your holy name we pray, amen. thank you so much, everyone. please enjoy the reception. and, again, to the families, we could not be prouder of anthony and henry. we are grateful for their sacrifice. we are grateful for your sacrifice. you have made this country safer. tony and henry stand as a model of courage and patriotism. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. thank you, everyone. [ applause ] president obama honoring the sacrifice of two of the many americans who have laid down their lives with courageous action in defense of our country. in this case, awarding two
of their fellow soldiers. they led from the front and loved beyond measure, portraying the ultimate act of selfless service. oh, god, remind us again today our nation has risen to our true greatness on the shoulders of americans like anthony and henry. may this ceremony serve to reinforce our awareness as a nation that our country s way of life and our freedom is a priceless inheritance, one through the commitment and sacrifice of those who have selflessly paid for our freedom with their blood. may your blessings be upon the families of henry and anthony who have given their loved ones to this nation and who have kept their memories alive for this very moment. by your grace, may we never forget their sacrifice. in your holy name, amen. good morning, everybody. please be seated. on behalf of michelle and
let s give both families a big round of applause. anthony and for henry. [ applause ] please join me in prayer. gracious god, you stirred our heart as we heard the accounts of two great american soldiers who valued the lives of those under their care more than their very own. you told us in the holy scripture there is no greater love than this, and so would you etch this eternal truth in our own hearts as we carry out our responsibilities to you, our families and our great nation. bless the young men and women of our armed services who walk in
medals of honor to private first class anthony kaho ohanohano of hawaii and private first class henry svehla of new jersey, both for their actions in korea in 1951 and 1952 respectively. and, of course, also mentioning that the world is a safer place because of the death of al qaeda leader osama bin laden. that was the announcement that the president made a little more than 12 hours ago. and today speaking at the white house, he says it shows that the united states has kept its commitment to seeing that justice is done. chris matthews is the host of hard ball on msnbc. in this case, the president laid this out as a top priority from the get-go. he said to his top leaders, give me the plan, show me the plan, let s get it done. today has got to be a good day for the president as well. yes, i think it is about clarity of purpose, and competence. i think we all judge each other, whether we re married to
it should quiet some of the questions and concerns. the crowd has been told that the president is on his way in. this is the crowd that has gathered now in the east room to honor private first class anthony kaho ohanohano of hawaii who served in korea in 1951 and will receive a medal of honor there. there you re seeing the president. the other private first class, henry svehla of new jersey who is being awarded the medal of honor for his actions in 1952. to commemorate the noble lives and sacrifices of two of our nation s precious sons. privates first class anthony kaho ohanohano and henry svehla. those stirred by news of the past 24 hours, we pause in these moments to remember the heroic combat actions taken by these two soldiers on the korean peninsula, some 60 years ago. both anthony and henry responded fearlessly against an enemy onabsolute and saved the lives