This was a welcome educational announcement earlier this month from Texas Gov. Rick Perry with support from erratic, but patriotic, billionaire Ross Perot.
Gov. Rick Perry today announced that 10,000 copies of the book “Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty” have been donated to the State of Texas and will be made available to every school district in the state.“Today, I am proud to announce that the book chronicling the personal stories of 116 Medal of Honor recipients will be made available to every Texas public school district free of charge,” Perry said. “To a great extent, the character of our country has been forged through the actions and sacrifices of these heroes. It is my hope that this book will inspire our youngest generation to ponder the great price that has been paid for freedom, and to make the same commitment generations past have made on its behalf.”
Joining the governor at the announcement were Medal of Honor recipients Mike Thornton, Bob O’Malley and David McNerney. Thornton was a Navy SEAL wounded while rescuing two comrades during an intense gun battle with more than 50 enemy soldiers. O’Malley is the first living Marine from the Vietnam War to receive the Medal of Honor; he single-handedly eliminated an enemy stronghold and then helped his men evacuate. McNerney was an Army sergeant wounded after he assumed command of his company when his commander was killed in action; he then destroyed an enemy machine gun position and cleared a helicopter landing zone so his wounded friends could be evacuated.
“These remarkable stories of courage remind us of the great price that has been paid to secure our freedom, and I am proud to help make this book available to the schoolchildren of Texas,” said Ross Perot, who donated the books to the state.
“Over the years, Mr. Perot has shown an unwavering commitment to the education of our children and a profound support for our military men and women,” Perry said. “This generous contribution of 10,000 books continues in that spirit and I thank him on behalf of the people of Texas.”
The American Association of Publishers has agreed to pay for the shipping costs and the Resolve Corp., a distribution and fulfillment company, will coordinate the distribution of the books with the Texas Education Agency. The book was written by Peter Collier and published by Artisan Books.
Since 1861, the United States has recognized its most heroic soldiers by awarding the Medal of Honor to those who have gone beyond the call of duty in combat to accomplish critical objectives or save the lives of their fellow soldiers and innocent civilians. Of the 3,440 individuals who have received the Medal of Honor, fewer than 140 recipients are alive today.
“Since our country’s founding, our freedom has been purchased at great cost by men and women who have confronted evil with courage and placed themselves in harm’s way for the liberty of others,” Perry said. “For the future of our nation, and for the honor due these heroes, we have an obligation to pass on their stories to current and future generations.”
Related:
• Peter Collier - Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty
• U.S. Army Center of Military History - Medal of Honor Citations