The Italy-USA Foundation honoring the Medal of Honor Salvatore Giunta

SSG Salvatore Giunta, a paratrooper of the 173rd Airborne, is the first living Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War. He earned this by charging a group of Taliban who were trying to make off with a wounded comrade in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration. “Italy and the United States have been exchanging culture, goods, and traditions for a long time, making it clear that neither one of the two countries would be what it is today without the contribution from the other. I am pleased to offer cordial congratulations to the SSG Salvatore Giunta on the occasion of the Medal of Honor. I am sure that this award to a brave Italian American soldier will further strengthen the bonds of friendship that exist between Italy and United States of America. We salute SSG Salvatore Giunta and all who serve or have served the friendship between our countries”, said the President of Italy-USA Foundation, Hon. Rocco Girlanda, in a letter sent to the US Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates.