Press Releases

MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS VISIT INTREPID MUSEUM ON MONDAY, MARCH 23

3/21/2009

From:
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
West 46th Street and 12th Avenue at Pier 86, Manhattan

Contact:
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Luke Sacks - (646) 381-5282 / (646) 241-6054 / lsacks@Intrepidmuseum.org

Rubenstein Communications Inc., Public Relations
Jody Fisher – 212-843-8296 / 347-419-0444 / jfisher@rubenstein.com

COVERAGE INVITED

MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS VISIT INTREPID SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM
ON MONDAY, MARCH 23

Two recipients of the Medal of Honor, the American military’s highest award for valor in combat, will visit the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum to kick off National Medal of Honor Week and will be available for media interviews, at the Hudson River Park's Pier 86, 12th Avenue and 46th Street in Manhattan on Monday, March 23 from 11 a.m. to noon.

The medal recipients are:

James A. Taylor, a retired Army officer who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Vietnam in November 1967. Taylor joined the Army from San Francisco, California, and by November 9, 1967 was serving as a first lieutenant in Troop B of the 1st Cavalry Regiment, Americal Division. During a battle on that day, west of Que Son in the Republic of Vietnam, Taylor repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to rescue crewmen from damaged assault vehicles. He was subsequently promoted to captain and awarded the Medal of Honor. Taylor reached the rank of major before retiring from the Army.

Robert R. Ingram, a retired Navy sailor who also received the Medal of Honor for actions in Vietnam on March 28, 1966 – nearly 43 years ago to the day of his visit to the Intrepid. Ingram joined the Navy from Coral Gables, Florida, and was serving as a hospital corpsman third class attached to Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment (Charlie 1/7). During a firefight on that day, in Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam, Ingram continued to treat wounded Marines even after being seriously wounded himself. Ingram's Medal of Honor was awarded on July 10, 1998 by President Bill Clinton during a ceremony in the White House. The delay in the award, made more than thirty years after the battle, was attributed to lost paperwork.

The Medal of Honor was authorized by President Abraham Lincoln in 1861 and first presented on March 25, 1863. Of the more than 34 million soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who have served in our Armed Forces, only 3,467 have received the Medal of Honor, many of them posthumously. Today, there are 98 living recipients.

        DATE:        Monday, March 23

        TIME:        11 a.m. – Noon

        PLACE:    Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, Pier 86 (46th Street and 12th Avenue)

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