by Aaron Brom
ECM Publishers
There are fewer of them than there are U.S. Senators. There are fewer of them than there are past U.S. Presidents.
Rogers Middle School’s annual Respect Rally concluded with students spelling out their school initials in red, white and blue.
In fact there are only 77 living Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, so when two of them came to Rogers Middle School Thursday, Oct. 6, for its annual Respect Rally, the whole school was abuzz with excitement.
Staff Sgt. Ty Carter and Sgt. Sammy Davis were treated like they were celebrities, and by all accounts, the uniqueness of their heroic actions have made them celebrities.
Davis served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and was awarded his medal by former President Lyndon Johnson. Davis is nicknamed “The real Forrest Gump,” after footage of his Medal of Honor award ceremony was used in the film Forrest Gump, with actor Tom Hanks’ head superimposed over that of Davis. He left active duty in 1984 due to his injuries.
Carter, an Army and Marine veteran, was awarded the U.S.’s highest military honor for his actions at the 2009 Battle of Kamdesh in Afghanistan. President Obama presented the medal to Carter in 2013. He left active duty in September 2014.
Carter and Davis are so especially unique that they didn’t just arrive at the school, they were escorted by a motorcade and then entered the school flanked by tunnel of students who applauded their every step.
The veterans then presented moving speeches to the students about their service and heroic actions. Carter told the students that they, too, can be heroes someday. He stressed not to forget that brave men and women in the military are still actively engaged in war today.
Davis shared a story about how he was hesitant to write to his mother about the war, so he instead wrote about mundane details such as the bugs he discovered. Thinking he was bored, his mother shipped him a harmonica to Vietnam, which he would learn to play — especially the song “Oh, Shenandoah,” which had such meaning to him that he played it at the White House in memory of the men he served with in Vietnam.
In a moving moment, Davis played “Oh, Shenandoah” for the students.
A packed house is on hand for Congressional Medal of Honor recipients Staff Sgt. Ty Carter and Sgt. Sammy Davis.
Each year Rogers Middle School hosts the rally to get students excited about respect, proper behavior and pride in the school and community.
Davis and Carter’s message centered on the Medal of Honor core values — courage, commitment, citizenship, sacrifice, integrity and patriotism.
Davis and Carter also took questions from the students, even sharing some details about their combat.
“Remember, whatever you face in life, you don’t lose until you quit trying,” Davis concluded.