Honoring our Medal of Honor man

By The Gazette Editorial Board

---

The naming of a federal courthouse is a decision that demands careful consideration and a long-term view. The name should be well-recognized and deliberately chosen - after all, it will survive a building's lifetime, outliving those who name it.

And we think it's an admirable sentiment that some are recommending that the new federal courthouse near downtown be named after Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. Sal Giunta. His bravery in battle was worthy of the nation's highest military honor. Giunta deserves our thanks. His heroism deserves to be remembered in a public and historic way.

Yet a federal courthouse just doesn't seem like quite the right fit. We'd like to see the courthouse named in a way more in keeping with its purpose.

And we would hope the Cedar Rapids Veterans Commission and other local veterans groups put their heads together to consider other enduring ways to honor our local hero - in a way more closely tied to his service and its importance.

Some Iowans have been in touch with state congressional leaders, asking them to consider naming the new $160 million federal courthouse, now under construction, after the Hiawatha native - the first living American to receive the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq or Afghanistan.

It was quick thinking, duty and loyalty that earned Giunta that honor - exposing himself to enemy fire in order to pull a fellow soldier back to cover in a 2007 attack in Afghanistan.

Loyalty is a word one hears a lot from people acquainted with Giunta - along with humble and unassuming, adventurous and sincere.

“We were all there together, fighting for our lives and each other,” were his oft-repeated words upon receiving the honor. “I didn't do anything that the others would not have done.”

Giunta's achievements deserve commemoration in some way that reflects all of those things - the man he is and the courageous acts he's become known for. He also is “a wonderful ambassador for the Army and for all who wear the uniform,” Col. Greg Hapgood, public affairs officer for the Iowa National Guard, recently said,

Let's find the most appropriate way possible to honor his service and example.