On March 20, 15 new members were inducted into the Joseph A. Dugan Hall of Valor at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in Pittsburgh, Penn., reported the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette.
The inductees included veterans who served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Many of the honorees were recognized posthumously and represented by surviving family. Several inductees, including former U.S. Army members Pfc. Richard Leo and Lt. Byron F. Smith, attended the event.
Leo was deployed to Vietnam when he was just 19 years old. During a firefight with the North Vietnamese forces in March 1967, he volunteered to transport ammunition to the front lines at great personal risk, an action that earned him a Silver Star for bravery. He also earned a Purple Heart during his stint in Vietnam.
For Lt. Byron F. Smith, the ceremony coincided with his 94th birthday. Smith was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action on April 11, 1945. His daughter nominated him for the recognition.
The late Pfc. Dominic Ranieri was nominated by his son Mike and was represented on stage by his grandson, Army Maj. Joseph Yurkovich.
"For us to be able to be here and to come for this event is very, very important," he told the Post-Gazette.
The Hall of Valor was dedicated in 1963 to honor veterans, living and deceased, for valor while in action. In the years since, the institution has recognized almost 700 local veterans for bravery and heroism.
"The Hall of Valor recipients represent the standards of conduct, courage and duty symbolic of honest and faithful service made, while serving our country," said Soldiers and Sailors President and CEO, John McCabe. "We honor and remember the bravery of ordinary men who exhibited extraordinary courage and valor for the love of their country."