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JFK Torch
News
October 22, 2010
Page by Darcey Altschwager and Michael Hoefer
Alum to receive top honor Kennedy alum Sal Giunta will be presented on November 16 with the Medal of Honor for his heroic efforts during an ambush. It was mentioned about three years ago, after the ambush, that Giunta was nominated to receive the Medal of Honor. The list of nominees then went through different stages of military officials who worked to narrow down the list. The list was then sent to the White House where Giunta was selected to receive the Medal of Honor. Steve Giunta, Sal’s father, commented on the process that was used to select the Medal of Honor recipient. “President Obama himself called Sal and he was very excited about that,” Steve said. Steve also commented about Sal receiving the Medal of Honor being a bittersweet honor. Sal is excited to receive the honor but, on the other hand, is also saddened because the Medal symbolizes two of Sal’s close friends lost in the ambush. In previous interviews, Sal has mentioned that there is not a day that goes by when he does not think about what happened. In October 2007, Giunta was part of an eight-man ambush at night to take down Taliban members that were armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. During the attack, Sal rushed into the line of fire to rescue wounded comrades. He also helped kill and drive off the Taliban attackers. Sal forced them to release a captive U.S. soldier. Two of Sal’s comrades were killed during the ambush, and everyone else involved was either wounded or had enemy rounds stopped by their protective equipment. Sal’s vest stopped one round that was potentially fatal and a weapon that was slung on his back stopped another round. After the ambush, it took Sal three weeks before he was able to talk about what had happened. During a phone call to Sal, his mother
was finally able to convince Sal to talk about what had happened. “He tries to protect us from what happens in his military career,” Steve said. Steve and his wife do not know much about what happens on a daily basis in Sal’s military career. Sal signed up for the Army when he was a senior in high school. While working at the Subway located in Wal-mart, Sal heard a radio ad for the Army. So Sal decided to sign up for the free T-shirt. His parents approved of his decision to join the army. Steve said that Sal never really wanted to attend college right away out of high school. Cary Beatty, language arts teacher, did not have Sal directly as a student but did work with Sal when he was cast in the play The Outsiders. “We often times do not see hidden talents that students have,” Beatty said. Beatty enjoyed working with Sal because he was gifted in so many areas. Many people who have worked with Sal agree that he was a free spirited and independent person. “We sometimes try to shove everyone through the hole of you are going to go to college and you are going to become a doctor,” Beatty said. Beatty was not surprised to hear that Sal joined the army and will be a recipient of the Metal of Honor because of his independent personality. Life for Sal right now consists of about three to five media interviews a day and a 12 hour work day on top of that. On top of this Sal is also currently stationed in Italy making it difficult for Steve and his wife to keep in contact with Sal. Sal has currently put in three years towards his degree in business. In recent reports Sal has said that he plans to stay in the army for a while, but the future is uncertain. Darcey Altschwager
Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Medal of Honor. Sal Giunta, Kennedy alum, is to receive the Medal of Honor for bravery in Afghanistan during a ceremony at the White House on November 16.
Nov. election wrap up
Photo by Jason Karsh via Wikimedia Commons
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Roxanne Conlin
Sen. Chuck Grassley
Immigration: Higher protection on borders War: We need better cooperation and accountability from the Afghan government. Education: Believes the way to a better life is a good education. Info from: roxanneforiowa.com
Immigration: Opposed to amnesty. War: Concerned America would pay an even heavier price if the U.S. would surrender to terrorists. Education: Higher education accessible and affordable for all. Info from: grassley.senate.gov
Photo by Carl Wycoff via Wikimedia Commons
IA Gov. Chet Culver
Immigration: Crack down on employers knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. War: Enhance housing benefits for veterans and require Veterans Day holiday. Education: “A center focus in my campaign is education because I was once a teacher also teacher’s salaries need to be raised.” Info from: chetculver.com
By IowaPolitics.com (Wikimedia Commons)
Terry Branstad
Immigration: Undocumented children should be denied access to public school. War: Improve the support of the active military, Guard and Reserve members Education: Need to focus on the basics, a quality K-12 education and nothing more. Info from: branstadreynolds.com Spencer Grekoff