Hiawatha native gives his Medal of Honor to 173rd Airborne Brigade

CEDAR RAPIDS - Since he received the Medal of Honor in 2010 for heroic action in Afghanistan, Salvatore Giunta has emphasized that the recognition was not his alone.

'It has never been mine. It has always been ours,” Giunta, now 32 and living in Colorado, said in an interview. 'I was on that mountain with 17 other guys that day and yet two lost their lives, several lives were forever changed and I received the accolades and the awards to go with it and it doesn't feel right to carry it for myself, because it is not mine and I can't give it to any one other individual.”

Giunta, a Hiawatha native who graduated from Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School, has been carrying the weight that comes with receiving such an honor for years, But earlier this month, he eased some of that weight by giving his Medal of Honor to the entire 173rd Airborne Brigade for which he was serving when his actions earned him the honor.

'I didn't really ask anyone if I could or how I should. I just knew that it was the right thing to do,” Giunta said. 'It kind of alleviates some of that stress on me because I keep saying it's not mine. But to show it, I can give it to the brigade for future generations.”

Giunta presented his medal to the 173rd Airborne Brigade earlier this month at a dedication ceremony for the Medal of Honor Walkway at the brigade's headquarters in Vicenza, Italy. Giunta told the stunned crowd he wanted the medal to be with the members of the 173rd to honor those who 'earn this every single day through their selflessness and sacrifice.”

'I felt like it was a perfect time and place to do it and remind them how important the work they do is,” Giunta said. 'It gives me goose bumps thinking about the quality of individuals we have that are willing to selflessly sacrifice for the greater good.”

Giunta was the first living American service member to receive the distinction for service in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and was also the first living recipient since the Vietnam War.

The award recognized him actions on the night of Oct. 25, 2007, when his unit came under deadly attack by a larger Taliban ambush squad. 'You charged forward through extreme enemy fire, embodying the warrior ethos that says, ‘I will never leave a fallen comrade,'” said then-President Barack Obama in bestowing the honor in 2010.

Giunta's mother, Rosemary, who lives in Hiawatha, said the moment was 'overwhelming.”

'Overwhelming because ... he didn't feel as if he should receive it. He felt very overwhelmed because all the men were there during that fight. For us as parents to hear the anguish of losing two people that he cared about - and (Giunta) feeling like he didn't do enough - was hard.”

She was proud of her son for his actions.

'He said he wanted to do this - give back to the nation, and this is his way of giving to include his brigade. But he doesn't just talk about the Army, he talks about all branches,” Rosemary Giunta said. 'He wants people to understand that all branches go above and beyond every single day to serve the country.”

Giunta left the U.S. Army in 2011 and has spent the past several years working as a keynote speaker. He will start at Colorado State University in August as an economics major.

Giunta says he knows he did the right thing by sharing the honor.

'The best thing I could do was give it to them and continue to live the best life I can to improve the lives around me,” Giunta said. 'I know it was the right thing to do.”

l Comments: (319) 368-8538; elianna.novitch@thegazette.com