Three veterans, all of whom had received the Congressional Medal of Honor, were commemorated Saturday at the Amarillo VA Health Care System.
"Red" Morgan, Charles Roan and Thomas E. Creek were honored for their services in World War II and Vietnam.
Morgan was flying over Germany when his plane was hit by enemy fire. The pilot sustained a serious head injury and Morgan took control of the plane, landing it safely. The pilot died shortly after. The plane was irreparable and never flew again.
Roan was fighting in the Pacific Islands when an enemy grenade was thrown at him and his comrades. Roan jumped onto the grenade, taking the impact of it and saving his friends' lives.
Creek shared a similar fate, as he was in the jungles of Vietnam and threw himself on top of grenade that had been tossed into the ditch where he and his friends were fighting. His other two brothers served in the armed forces, as well.
The VA hospital is now named after Creek, which his older brother Ross said is no simple accomplishment.
"To get a federal hospital named after someone, it takes an act of Congress," he said. "And they don't do it overnight; it took, maybe, six years for them to do it. So, yeah, it's a pretty important thing to have your name on a federal building, especially a young kid that was raised on the north side of town."
According to homeofheroes.com, as of May 5, 2011, only 3,474 Medals of Honor had been awarded. This medal is reserved for the bravest of the brave, and Director of Amarillo VA Health Care System Andrew Welch said these three men were definitely entitled for this most rarely given recognition.
"The Congressional Medal of Honor is the least-given medal of any medal," he said, "because it requires so much bravery and so much giving of one's self for their country."
Veterans from all over the Panhandle, as well as some from out of state and the VA hospital attended the ceremony and saluted their three fallen comrades.
Though the heartened acts of Morgan, Roan and Creek took place as long as 68 years ago, their service is still remembered and their courage still honored.
The first formal act of awarding military action in the United States was by George Washington in 1782.
