The Defense Department’s valor website now includes the names of Medal of Honor recipients by service since the medal’s inception, announced Pentagon officials on Thursday. Previously, the site included only the names of MOH recipients since Sept. 11, 2001. DOD plans to complete a similar expansion for recipients of the service crosses by March 31, said Navy Lt. Nate Christensen, a Pentagon spokesman, in DOD’s Feb. 28 release. When that task is finished, the site will provide the name, rank, and conflict of all MOH and service crosses recipients—there are exceptions as some recipients are omitted due to security, privacy, and administrative reasons—as well as Silver Star Medal recipients since Sept. 11, 2001. Pentagon officials are still examining the feasibility of listing Silver Star recipients for actions before Sept. 11, 2001, states the release. “Unlike Medal of Honor and Service Cross data, Silver Star Medal data are not readily available, and obtaining information on pre-9/11 Silver Star Medal recipients will likely be much more difficult, costly, and time-consuming,” said Christensen. DOD created the valor website last year to raise awareness of service members’ heroism and to help deter those who falsely claim military honors. (AFPS report by Claudette Roulo)
The Air Force is shoring up its cyber defenses both on and off base for critical infrastructure such as water and electrical power, and industry experts are calling for more, even specialized, dedicated microgrids offsite to support USAF operations in case of a total blackout caused by cyberattacks.
