HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 51

BY  PAULSEN, UPMEYER, and McCARTHY

A Resolution honoring the service, courage, and sacrifice of United States Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Augustine Giunta.

   WHEREAS, Salvatore Augustine Giunta is a life-long Iowan, born in Clinton and raised in Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha; and
   WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Giunta enlisted in the United States Army in 2003 and has served two tours of duty in Afghanistan; and
   WHEREAS, on October 25, 2007, Staff Sergeant Giunta was in the desolate Korengal Valley in Afghanistan as part of a patrol with other soldiers of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, United States Army; and
   WHEREAS, when ambushed by heavily armed Taliban insurgents, Staff Sergeant Giunta acted only for the protection of his wounded comrades, engaging the enemy, pulling the wounded from the line of fire, and rescuing a wounded soldier from certain capture; and
   WHEREAS, the Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon a soldier serving in the armed forces of the United States; and
   WHEREAS, for his selfless and courageous actions Staff Sergeant Giunta was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama on November 16, 2010; and
   WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Giunta is the first living Medal of Honor recipient since Vietnam; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That the House of Representatives, on behalf of all Iowans, honors our state’s native son Salvatore Augustine Giunta, a soldier both courageous and humble, whose actions bring honor to himself and all the soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and expresses its gratitude for his service to his comrades and his country.