Precious Medals
LAST, JONATHAN V.
Precious Medals The Schumer plan for debasing heroism. BY JONATHAN V. LAST The federal government has had difficulty honoring the heroes of Flight 93. Fundraising for the national...
...Even groups got in on the act—the American Red Cross, the 1980 U.S...
...Cliff Stearns’s bill sought to honor everyone on the doomed flight...
...and other passengers or crew members on board United Airlines Flight 93 who are identifi ed by the Attorney General as having aided in the effort to resist the hijackers on board the plane...
...The Families of Flight 93 are trying to persuade Schumer that, however noble or tragic the destinies of those killed in New York and Washington on September 11, the actions of those on Flight 93 were different, and they deserve to be recognized as such...
...Sitting on this committee was Senator Charles Schumer...
...Peter King...
...He reintroduced his bill last March...
...We feel that there’s a certain factor that separates Congressional Gold Medal recipients from other awards which are allowed by Congress...
...And even simpler honors have so far eluded Congress...
...Meanwhile, Schumer is once again poised to trot out his Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act...
...Rep...
...For his part, Shuster has yet to throw in the towel...
...to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, which did nothing...
...It requires two-thirds cosponsorship in both the House and Senate and is a powerful sign of gratitude for service to the nation...
...It has only 105 cosponsors and has gone nowhere...
...Fundraising for the national memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed on 9/11, lags, and the project has yet to break ground...
...Marge Roukema’s bill singled out just one passenger, Jeremy Glick, who hailed from her New Jersey district...
...By 1950, the medal was also going to fi gures in the arts and entertainment —Irving Berlin, Robert Frost, and Bob Hope...
...As his press secretary, Jeff Urbanchuk, explains, “We look at [Flight 93] as a situation that is unique...
...On September 20, 2001, three bills were introduced in the House proposing that Congress give the Gold Medal to various people aboard the fated plane...
...Tancredo’s bill expired with the 107th Congress...
...In March 2003, Schumer began pushing his own bill, the Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act...
...Tom Tancredo’s bill proposed awarding the Gold Medal to: Jeremy Glick, Todd Beamer, Thomas Burnett, Jr., and Mark Bingham...
...Bill Shuster, whose district includes Shanksville, attempted in April 2006 to rally the House to the idea of the Gold Medal for Flight 93...
...Some bills were introduced in the Senate, where they were kicked over Jonathan V. Last is a staff writer at THE WEEKLY STANDARD...
...Since then, others have championed the cause in various guises, notably Rep...
...In the face of Schumer’s leveling wind, Rep...
...His logic, explained in the bill, is that “in the eyes of the terrorists, we are all the enemy, and the term ‘innocent civilian’ has no meaning...
...It seeks to issue posthumous “national” medals — although not Gold Medals — to everyone who died on September 11...
...Shuster, then, will carry on the fi ght, trying to convince Congress to give Flight 93 the same recognition it lavished most recently on Dr...
...We’re not opposed to that legislation, but we see that as separate...
...The Gold Medal is the highest honor Congress can grant a civilian...
...Summer Olympic Team, the Tuskegee Airmen...
...An effort to award the Gold Medal posthumously to the passengers and crew of Flight 93 began a few days after the attacks...
...Only six more were awarded before 1800, all to Revolutionary heroes...
...Schumer’s legislation has a worthy end,” Urbanchuk says, “which is that everyone who was impacted by the September 11 attacks should receive a commendation in remembrance of the sacrifice...
...Finally, Rep...
...This last proposal ultimately garnered the most support, attracting 235 cosponsors—just 55 short of the required two-thirds...
...Until the Civil War, the Gold Medal was given mostly to war heroes such as Andrew Jackson and Zachary Taylor, but afterwards, notables like George Peabody and the Wright brothers began to receive it...
...The wording of the bill nicely captured the spirit of Flight 93 and seemed most in line with the original conception of the Gold Medal, stating: “The leaders of the resistance aboard United Airlines Flight 93 demonstrated exceptional bravery, valor, and patriotism, and are worthy of the appreciation of the people of the United States...
...Michael DeBakey, a celebrated cardiologist...
...Walt Disney got one in 1968, though so did Winston Churchill the following year...
...The fi rst medal was forged in 1776 and awarded to George Washington...
Vol. 13 • March 2008 • No. 28
