Salvatore Giunta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Salvatore Giunta
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Giunta in April 2010
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| Born | January 21, 1985 Clinton, Iowa, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ |
United States Army |
| Years of service | 2003–2011 |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
| Unit | 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade |
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart |
| Relations | 1 daughter (born October 6, 2011) |
Salvatore Augustine Giunta (born January 21, 1985) is a former United States Army soldier. He is famous for being the first living person to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. The Medal of Honor is the highest award for bravery in the U.S. military.
Giunta earned this award for his heroic actions on October 25, 2007. He saved the lives of several soldiers in his squad during a battle in Afghanistan. He left the army in June 2011.
Contents
Early Life and Joining the Army
Salvatore Giunta was born in Clinton, Iowa, to an Italian American family. He grew up in the Iowa towns of Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha. He has two younger siblings, a brother and a sister.
When he was 17, Giunta worked at a Subway sandwich shop. It was then that he decided to join the army. He enlisted in November 2003. He was the first person in his close family to join the military.
Military Career
Giunta went to basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. As a soldier, he was sent to Afghanistan twice. His first tour was from 2005 to 2006. His second was from 2007 to 2008. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant in 2009.
In 2007, Giunta was stationed in the dangerous Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. Soldiers called this area the "Valley of Death." In late October, his company began a mission called Operation Rock Avalanche.
The Ambush in Korengal Valley
On the night of October 25, 2007, Giunta's team was walking back to their base. Suddenly, about 10 to 15 enemy fighters ambushed them. The enemy was very close, only about 30 feet away, and hidden.
The attack was intense. The enemy used AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and machine guns. Giunta later described the chaos.
There were more bullets in the air than stars in the sky. A wall of bullets at every one at the same time... They're above you, in front of you, behind you, below you... They were close—as close as I've ever seen.
Sergeant Joshua Brennan, one of Giunta's best friends, was hit by gunfire. The squad leader, Erick Gallardo, was also hit in the helmet. Giunta saw Gallardo fall and ran through the heavy gunfire to help him. As he helped the sergeant, a bullet hit Giunta's protective vest, but he was not badly hurt.
Running into Danger to Save a Friend
Giunta knew they had to fight back hard to survive. He and the other soldiers threw grenades and fired their weapons at the enemy. They moved forward to help another wounded soldier, SPC Frank Eckrode.
After helping Eckrode, Giunta looked for his friend, Sergeant Brennan. He couldn't see him. Giunta ran forward alone, over the top of a hill, right into the enemy's line of fire.
There, he saw two enemy fighters dragging Brennan away. Giunta immediately started shooting at them. He killed one and wounded the other, who ran away. Giunta rushed to Brennan's side and began giving him medical aid until help arrived.
The ambush lasted only three minutes. Sadly, Sergeant Brennan died from his wounds during surgery the next day. Giunta's commander later told him, "You stopped the fight. You stopped them from taking a soldier."
Receiving the Medal of Honor
Two days after the ambush, Giunta was told he would be recommended for the Medal of Honor. He felt uncomfortable being called a hero. He believed everyone in his squad was a hero.
He said, "If I'm a hero, every man that stands around me, every woman in the military, everyone who goes into the unknown is a hero."
On November 16, 2010, President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor to Giunta at the White House. He was the first living person to receive it since the Vietnam War. In 2017, Giunta gave his medal to his old army unit, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, to honor all the soldiers who serve.
Life After the Army
Giunta decided not to re-enlist in the army and left in June 2011. He and his wife, Jennifer, moved to Colorado. He attended Colorado State University and wrote a book about his experiences called Living with Honor.
Giunta and his wife have a daughter, who was born in 2011. He has been honored at many public events, including the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square and at Super Bowl XLV. As of 2014, he lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Images for kids
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Giunta visits Walter Reed Medical Center in 2024.
See also
- List of post-Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients
