Bill Honors Medal of Honor Recipients, Including Local Heroes

Washington lawmakers are debating a bill that's designed to honor 3,000 recipients of the Medal of Honor including three people from Central Washington.

THE BRIDGE SPANS THE COLUMBIA RIVER

The bill could result in the designation of the Interstate 90 bridge over the Columbia River near Vantage as the "Medal of Honor Bridge."
The proposal was introduced by 13th District State Rep. Tom Dent of Moses Lake. He tells KIT News how he became friends with fighter pilot from WWII who was also a Medal of Honor recipient and how that friendship lead to the idea of creating a "Medal of Honor Bridge."

THE BRIDGE WILL HONOR THOUSANDS OF RECIPIENTS INCLUDING THREE FROM OUR AREA

If the bill becomes law the bridge will honor the more than 3,000 recipients of the Medal of Honor nationwide. Some of those honored with the medal are from Central Washington.
In fact every year a special ceremony is held on October 12 at Yakima's Tahoma Cemetary to honor Yakima's only Medal of Honor recipient.

THE CITY OF YAKIMA HONORS THE MEDAL OF HONOR

The city of Yakima has proclaimed October 12 as “STAFF SERGEANT JACK J. PENDLETON DAY." Yakima city officials say it was on the date of October 12 of 1944 while serving with the U.S. Army’s Company I, 120th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division, Staff Sergeant Jack. J. Pendleton took enemy gunfire and was gravely wounded in his leg while leading his squad in an attack on a German machine gun nest near Bardenberg, Germany.

PENDLETON SACRIFICED HIS LIFE FOR OTHERS

A proclamation from the city reads; despite his injuries, Staff Sergeant Pendleton ordered his troops to stay where they were and, using a supply of hand grenades, slowly advanced alone to within ten yards of the enemy position, all the while drawing a hail of machine gun fire to himself and away from his squad and other soldiers. Pendleton died as a result of his injuries. He was posthumously presented the Medal of Honor, the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force.

YAKIMA ISN'T THE ONLY AREA TO HONOR A MOH RECIPIENT

Today Yakima celebrates and remembers his heroism.
Two other Medal of Honor recipients are also from the Yakima Valley. Douglas Munro of Cle Elum was a Coast Guard Signalman who was awarded the Medal of Honor and was the only member of the U.S. Coast Guard to receive the Medal of Honor. A third recipient of the Medal of Honor is Reinhardt John Keppler, a graduate of Wapato High School.