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Medal of Honor Memorial Project



The Medal of Honor is proof that ordinary men and women have within them the potential to challenge fate and literally change the course of history. It only requires the courage to try.

--Paul Bucha, Medal of Honor recipient and former president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society
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Make a gift online in support of Medal of Honor Memorial Project.

Valor...boldness...bravery...courage. These are the attributes celebrated by the Medal of Honor—the highest award that can be bestowed by the United States government. The medal is awarded "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force."

The recipients are heroes—ordinary men who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances and act with unfathomable courage.

The University of Washington has the distinct privilege to be associated with seven of these heroes. It is these men who we, students of the Associated Students at the University of Washington (ASUW), wish to honor through the Medal of Honor Memorial Project.

In April, 2006 the Student Senate of the ASUW passed a resolution calling for a memorial to commemorate UW alumni who have been awarded the Medal of Honor. In October, 2006 a taskforce was formed in order to bring this project to fruition-to build a memorial on the Seattle campus to honor these brave UW alumni.

We ask you to join us in celebrating these heroes by making a gift in support of the Medal of Honor Memorial Project.

At present there are seven UW alumni who have been awarded the Medal of Honor. They are:

Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, Col., USMC (1934)
The Marines' WWII ace, Boyington downed 28 enemy planes before being captured by the Japanese and spending the rest of the conflict in a prisoner of war camp. His squadron's exploits became the basis for the 1970s TV series, Baa Baa Black Sheep.

Deming Bronson, 1LT, USA (1915)
This UW graduate won a Medal of Honor in World War I for capturing enemy prisoners near Eclisfontaine, France, in 1918. He was wounded by a hand grenade and a bullet and still led his unit to capture enemy positions. At the UW, he was a forestry major and played Husky football from 1912-1916 under legendary Coach Gil Dobie.

Robert E. Galer, BGen, USMC (1935)
As a Marine Corps major in August and September of 1942, he repeatedly engaged Japanese aerial forces in combat, "individually shooting down 11 enemy bomber and fighter aircraft over a period of 29 days," according to the text of his medal citation. Galer was himself shot down four times during his service in World War II and Korea. He retired as a brigadier general in 1957.

John D. "Bud" Hawk, Sgt., USA (1952)
Army Sgt. Hawk was wounded on August 20, 1944, in France when the German army was trying to escape its encirclement following the Normandy invasion. A portion of his medal citation reads, "Sgt. Hawk's fearless initiative and heroic conduct, even while suffering from a painful wound, was in large measure responsible for crushing two desperate attempts of the enemy to escape from the Falaise Pocket and for taking more than 500 prisoners."

Robert Leisy, 2LT, USA (1968)
He served as a 2nd Lt. in the Vietnam War and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. During an engagement in Phuoc Long Province, Leisy's unit was ambushed by a far larger force of North Vietnamese soldiers. He shielded his men from a rocket grenade attack and died of the wounds on Dec. 2, 1969. He was 24.

William K. Nakamura, PFC, USA (attended, 1940s)
Forced to leave the UW because of the internment of Japanese Americans in 1942, William Kenzo Nakamura enlisted in the famous 442nd Regiment Combat Team, the most decorated military unit in U.S. history. He died in Italy on the Fourth of July, 1944, while providing cover for his pinned-down platoon. He attended the UW in the early 1940s.

Archie Van Winkle, Col., USMC (1961)
Van Winkle was awarded the Medal of Honor for action in Korea. On November 2, 1950, Van Winkle led a daring charge through withering enemy fire during which a bullet shattered his arm and an enemy hand grenade exploded against his chest. Though severely wounded, he refused to be evacuated, and continued to shout orders and encouragement to his men while lying on the ground weak from loss of blood. His heroic leadership enabled the outnumbered platoon to repulse a fanatical enemy attack.

The memorial will honor these seven brave men and will also serve as a place of commemoration for future UW alumni who may be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Please join us in supporting the Medal of Honor Memorial Project by making a gift today.

You can make a gift online through our secure server. Gifts and pledges can also be made by calling the UW Foundation's toll-free line at 1-877-UW-GIFTS. Checks made payable to the UW Foundation, with a note indicating your wish to support the Medal of Honor Memorial Project, can be mailed to:

UW Foundation
Box 358240
Seattle, WA 98195-8240

We greatly appreciate your support of our endeavor to honor those UW alumni who have sacrificed greatly for the cause of liberty and, through that sacrifice, worked to ensure the freedom we enjoy every day.

Thank you for joining us in this effort!

For more information on this project, please contact:

Cullen White, ASUW President
Via Email
Phone: 206.543.1780

Associated Students of the University of Washington
 
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Last Modified Friday, August 24, 2007