What the Medal of Honor Means To Me

The Congressional Medal of Honor

     Respect, Honor, Courage. That’s what the Medal of Honor means to me. To others it might be something else.  Three of my cousins were enlisted one in the marines and two in the navy none of them were awarded this medal but I am sure if they would ever receive this medal they would be really proud to hold it. This medal is one of the highest awards that you could receive in the United States.

     The Medal of Honor means to respect. It means to me this because when ever you see a person wearing this medal the first thing that comes to your mind is respect. You have to respect this person wearing the medal. It means honor because it’s an honor having this medal. It’s also an honor when you greet or meet a person wearing this medal. It means courage because this person who earned this medal had to do something really courageous in order to wear the medal.

     The Medal of Honor is one of the highest awards you could receive in the United States of America. The Medal of Honor was established during the civil war on July 12, 1862.  It was originated from the United States Army then the other branches started to join in and making their own medal of honor. There were originally 2404 medals awarded between all the branches. In order to receive this medal you have to save someone’s life during war. You have to go beyond the call of Duty. Someone has to witness your action otherwise you won’t be able to receive this medal. This medal is to be awarded by the president of The United States of America.

     Some soldiers that have received the Medal of Honor say “Sometimes I think it was easier to win the Medal of Honor then to wear it.”What I think soldiers mean by saying this phrase is that it is hard to wear the Medal of Honor. Maybe because they are not so used to all the attention they get from wearing this medal. Maybe it’s just because they don’t want this award. I’ve heard some soldiers say that they were just doing their job maybe that’s why they say this.

     This is the Congressional Medal of Honor. Respect, Honor, and Courage. I hope that one of these days I could meet someone that has earned this medal. I want to ask so many questions. That one day will come.

 

 

                                                         

                                  

The Thankyou Letter

Dear,
Private First Class Alejandro R. Ruiz My name is Raul Cordova. I am from Chicago, Illinos
and I attend Farragut Career Academu JROTC Patton Academy. It's really amazing how yousaved all of those lives. Even though you risked your own life and could've just easily gave up you didn't.In a way you have affectyed me personally. you have taught me still people out there who actually care and aren't selfish. Well I waish you the best of the best. I wish for you to just keep on living your life to the extreme. Well I send my best thanks to you. Thank you for all you have done for this whle amazing nation. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Raul Cordova

Congrssional Medal of Honor Recipient:Alejandro R. Ruiz

Alejandro Renteria Ruiz was born and raised in New Mexico, the son of a Mexican immigrant who had been an officer in Pancho Villa’s army. In 1944, twenty-year-old Ruiz was driving to Texas to see his girlfriend when he got into a legal scrape. He went before a judge who gave him a choice between the Army and jail. Ruiz enlisted.
After training at Fort Bliss and Fort Ord, Private First Class Ruiz shipped out with the 165th Infantry. His unit landed on Okinawa in April 1945. On April 28, his company, exhausted from a series of engagements with Japanese troops in heavily fortified positions, was moving down into a deep ravine. The Japanese let his unit pass by a well-camouflaged pillbox before opening fire and lobbing grenades. As the Americans tried to find cover while Japanese grenades rained down on them, Ruiz saw his comrades falling all around him; after just a few minutes, only he and his squad leader had escaped injury.
Knowing that he needed more firepower than his rifle could offer, Ruiz grabbed a Browning Automatic Rifle and moved toward the pillbox. As he started to climb on top of it so he could open fire, the weapon jammed. At that moment, a Japanese soldier charged him; Ruiz clubbed him down, then tossed the rifle aside and ran back through the heavy fire to where his men were pinned down. Picking up another automatic rifle and grabbing some extra cans of ammunition, he headed back toward the pillbox while the Japanese machine gunners and riflemen were all concentrating their fire on him. Making it through the storm of bullets and grenades, he once again climbed on top of the emplacement and sent several bursts of fire through the aperture, killing the twelve soldiers inside and destroying the position.
Unscathed except for a minor flesh wound in the leg, Ruiz found a place to sit down after the battle and tried to light a cigarette with shaking hands. The men he had saved told him they were going to recommend him for the Medal of Honor. Ruiz didn’t think about it for the next several weeks as his unit continued the fight on Okinawa. It wasn’t until May 1946, when he was back in the United States, living in the married soldiers’ barracks, that he was told he was indeed to receive the medal. Ruiz’s wife, mother, and sister accompanied him to the White House, where President Harry Truman made the presentation on June 12, 1946.
Ruiz remained in the service for the next eighteen years. He saw action again in Korea and retired as a sergeant in 1964.

The Newly Accomplished Goals (October)

Its a new month and that means that I accomplished new goals right. One of the goals that I have accomplished that I have been waiting for since last year happened was to have some crazy halloween fun. I've been waiting since last halloween ended to have some fun this year. This year I had more than fun i've had the previous ones. I say that because the previous years it was only like three of us now this year it was the whole gang I cant even name all of them, well I can but it would take a while. It was fun because we all hung out like we have never ever done before. So im real glad that I accomplished this goal. (This was #14)

Another goal that I accomplished was to join a school sport. I've really been looking forward to this one too. I joined the guys volleyball team, the season or tryouts haven't officially started but I signed myself up and I think that's accomplishing it because at least I signed up. Im real glad that I joined this year because most of the people from my elementary school (Joseph E. Gary) joined and we're known for kicking butt at this sport. So im really looking forward to see how the season goes. (This is number #15)

MLK's Qoute And Mirror Poem

Qoute

" When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men, jews and gentiles, protestants and catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro Siritual,"Free at last! free at last! thank God almighty, we are free at last!"

Why this qoute was important to me was because I think that what he said there was true That one day they would all be free. He was right because back in the day it was real hard for them because there was a lot of hate and a lot of racism and plus there was segregation and that was wrong. They struggled a lot to be free at last but they accomplished it so that's why it's important to me.

Why I think this qoute is important to the public is because Martin Luther King J.R. was telling them that one day everyone was going to be free. They just had to be calm about it and that day will soon come and now we are ALL free. We all have the same rights no matter what's your skin color! We all have a say in mostly everything. Why I say that is because unless your not a citizen you wont be able to vote but other than that your all good.

POEM

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore-- And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

What happens to a dream not accomplished...

Does it die

like a flower or

does it hide like
kids playing hide and seek

Does it decompose like garbage or

does it stink like wrotten fruit

Maybe it just fades away like

an old shirt or

Does it just dissapear?

The All American Dream

My mom's American dream is for her to work hard so we could go on in life. She says that's what she came here for so that we could have a better life than she did when she was little. My mom came from Mexico and she said it was real hard back in Mexico to get a good education I think she only got up to 6th grade. She does know how to read though she's also pretty good at math she's even better than me at it. So she says that that is her dream for us her children to be something in life.

My dad's American dream is to be real wealthy so that he doesn't have to work. It's pretty funny to me. It could happen but I Dont Know it's going to be pretty hard to get awful wealthy so he doesn't have to work again not even rich people do that! He also says that one of jis other dreams is to sleep. My dad's dreams are funny but they could always come true if he works hard to accomplish them.

My uncle's American dream since he was at my house is to have a better job than what he does now. He says that he wants to do better in his life I don't really know what he does now but his Amercan dream is to work at in office with the A/C blating in his face.

Whats Up With This?

I hate it when people say that Immigrants should leave this country because they are here illegally. If people want them to be here legally then why don’t they give them their documents? I say that they aren’t doing us any bad by being here but some people do. They are just here to work!!!!!!!!!

I think that immigrants should be allowed to stay here in the United States. One reason immigrants should stay is because they aren’t doing anything bad .They are just here working trying to make it through the struggle trying to feed their family. The immigrants that should not really be allowed to stay here are the ones that are just here being lazy bums. But the ones trying to make it through should stay and at least get their residency. A lot of senators or something like that are already trying to pass laws for that kind of thing.

This whole country is made out of immigrants. The only ones that were not immigrants were the Native Americans. This country was built on immigrants and that’s what it’s here for and this is what’s its been here for. I even bet you that the president’s family came from immigration my family too came like that, we are not Americans we are Mexican Americans. Anyways it wouldn’t be right to send over 12 million people back to their countries.