Notice Nearby

American War Heroes

Decorations register

A quiet list of Americans whose Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, or related valor award is in the public official record. The symbols are the official medals. The names are documented. We do not invent an award, and we do not treat this page as a scoreboard.

41 recipients are on this register. Some hold more than one of these decorations; those names appear on each list they earned. A Medal of Honor or service cross already in the public record is not repeated as a fourth badge here.

Medal images are U.S. government / Institute of Heraldry works in the public domain. See each award page for the file source. Use of official insignia remains subject to federal criminal and heraldry rules; these pages display the symbols as a historical register, not as issued decorations.

A publisher register — not a verification

This decorations register is publisher-curated from public records — Medal of Honor Society citations, published general orders, and official Army, Navy, and Marine Corps biographies. It is not a verified-veteran product. Notice Nearby does not certify service and does not issue badges.

A paid or unpaid memorial does not enroll anyone here. Checkout, VET50, and a family’s mention of service on an obituary are not applications to this list. We add a name only when a public official source names the decoration.

Claiming a decoration that was not awarded is stolen valor. It is a disrespect to those who earned the medal and, in some cases, a federal crime. This register will not invent an award to fill a page.

These pages are a historical register. They are not Legal Publication, not a newspaper notice, and not proof that a statute was satisfied.

Documented recipients

On this register

Well-documented public records only. Existing war-hero pages that already named a decoration carry a quiet awards row. Names that begin here — including Inouye, Dole, and the September 18–19 additions — stand on cited awards until a war-roll essay is written. Text-only pages stay text-only when no rights-safe portrait is on file.

Portrait of Audie Murphy

Audie Murphy

19251971 · First Lieutenant

Company B, 15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division; Europe, 1943–1945

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart · three awards
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal · two awards; first with “V” device
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star · two awards
Portrait of Desmond Doss

Desmond Doss

19192006 · Corporal

Medical Detachment, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal · two awards, each with “V” device
Portrait of John Basilone

John Basilone

19161945 · Gunnery Sergeant

1st Battalion, 27th Marines; Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
Portrait of Henry Johnson

Henry Johnson

18921929 · Sergeant

Company C, 369th Infantry; Argonne outpost, May 15, 1918

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
Portrait of William E. Barber

William E. Barber

19192002 · Captain (later Colonel)

Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines; Toktong Pass, November–December 1950

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart · two awards
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star
Portrait of Roy P. Benavidez

Roy P. Benavidez

19351998 · Master Sergeant

Detachment B-56, 5th Special Forces Group; west of Loc Ninh, May 2, 1968

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
Portrait of Paul R. Smith

Paul R. Smith

19692003 · Sergeant First Class

Company B, 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division; Baghdad, April 4, 2003

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal
Portrait of Michael A. Monsoor

Michael A. Monsoor

19812006 · Master-at-Arms Second Class (SEAL)

SEAL Team 3; Ar Ramadi, September 29, 2006

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star
Portrait of Ross A. McGinnis

Ross A. McGinnis

19872006 · Private First Class

C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry; Adhamiyah, December 4, 2006

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal
Portrait of Jason L. Dunham

Jason L. Dunham

19812004 · Corporal

Company K, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines; near Karabilah, April 14, 2004

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
Portrait of Daniel K. Inouye

Daniel K. Inouye

19242012 · Second Lieutenant (later Captain)

Company E, 442nd Regimental Combat Team; San Terenzo, Italy, April 21, 1945

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal
Portrait of Robert J. Dole

Robert J. Dole

19232021 · Second Lieutenant (later Captain; honorary Colonel, 2019)

10th Mountain Division; northern Italy, 1945

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart · two awards
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal · oak-leaf cluster (second award)

Woodrow W. Keeble

19171982 · Master Sergeant

Company G, 2nd Battalion, 19th Infantry, 24th Infantry Division; also WWII service with the 164th Infantry (Guadalcanal)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart · two awards (Army account of wartime awards; later secondary tallies credit additional wounds)
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star

Tibor Rubin

19292015 · Corporal

Company I, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division; Korea (Pusan Perimeter, Unsan, POW camps)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart · two awards

John S. McCain III

19362018 · Captain (retired; Navy biographical data also lists wartime ranks through Commander)

Attack Squadron 163 (VA-163); shot down over North Vietnam October 1967; POW until March 1973

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart · one gold star (two awards)
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal · Combat “V” and two gold stars (three awards)
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star

Albert L. Ireland

19181997 · Staff Sergeant

WWII: Company A, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 6th Marine Division (Okinawa); Korea: Company I, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart · nine awards (five WWII / four Korea per National Purple Heart Hall of Honor incident list)
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal · two awards, each with Combat “V”

Pascal Cleatus Poolaw Sr.

19221967 · First Sergeant

WWII: Company M, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division; Korea: Company C, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division; Vietnam: Company C, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division (near Loc Ninh)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart · three awards (one associated with each war in VA and Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame accounts)
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal · five awards (Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame)
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star · four awards

Vernon J. Baker

19192010 · First Lieutenant

Weapons Platoon, Company C, 370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division; Castle Aghinolfi / Viareggio, Italy, 5–6 April 1945

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal

Young-Oak Kim

19192005 · Colonel (retired; wartime ranks include First Lieutenant / Major)

WWII: Company B / Headquarters, 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), later 442d Regimental Combat Team; Korea: 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division (battalion command)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart · three awards (VA National Cemetery Administration account)
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal · two awards (VA NCA account)
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star · two awards

William Maud Bryant

19331969 · Sergeant First Class

Company A, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces; commanding officer, Civilian Irregular Defense Group Company 321, 2d Battalion, 3d Mobile Strike Force Command

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal

Neil Ellis Bateman

19471967 · Private First Class

Company B, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal · Merit (VA wording: Bronze Star Medal (Merit))
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star

Larry Richard Dewey

19461971 · Captain

92d Assault Helicopter Squadron, 10th Combat Aviation Battalion, 17th Combat Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade (UH-1 Huey pilot)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star

Ashley L. Henderson-Huff

19822006 · First Lieutenant

Platoon leader, 549th Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion (Fort Stewart); Operation Iraqi Freedom, Mosul / Erbil police training mission

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal

Jessica Ann Ellis

19832008 · Corporal (posthumous promotion; served as combat medic)

Combat medic, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); route-clearance patrols, Baghdad

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal

Charles Norman Shay

19242025 · Master Sergeant (VA profile address); wartime combat medic, Private on D-Day

WWII: combat medic, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division (Omaha Beach and European campaigns); Korea: 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division

  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal · multiple awards with Combat “V” (Army 1st Infantry Division account of Korean War service)
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star

Edward A. Carter Jr.

19161963 · Staff Sergeant (later Sergeant First Class)

Infantry Company Number 1 (Provisional), Seventh Army; attached to 56th Armored Infantry Battalion, 12th Armored Division (near Speyer, Germany, 23 March 1945)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal

Van T. Barfoot

19192012 · Colonel (retired; wartime ranks include Technical Sergeant / Second Lieutenant)

3d Platoon, Company L, 3d Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division (WWII Italy/France); later Korea and Vietnam service, retiring as colonel

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star

Jacklyn H. Lucas

19282008 · Private First Class

Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division (Iwo Jima, 20 February 1945)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart

Jose M. Lopez

19122005 · Sergeant First Class (Medal of Honor action as Private First Class / Sergeant)

Weapons Platoon, Company M, 3d Battalion, 23d Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division (near Krinkelt, Belgium, 17 December 1944); later Korea and Vietnam-era service

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal

Hershel W. Williams

19232022 · Chief Warrant Officer 4 (retired; wartime Corporal)

Company C, 1st Battalion, 21st Marines, 3d Marine Division (Iwo Jima flame-thrower demolitions, February–March 1945)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart

Nathan Matthew Cox

19752008 · Staff Sergeant

Viper Company (B), 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division (Kunar Province / Korengal Valley, Afghanistan)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal

James Lewis Day

19251998 · Major General (retired; wartime squad leader as enlisted Marine at Okinawa)

WWII: squad leader, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division (Sugar Loaf Hill, Okinawa, May 1945); later Korea and Vietnam combat service; retired as major general (1986)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart · six awards (VA #VeteranOfTheDay account)
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star · three awards (VA #VeteranOfTheDay account)

Garlin Murl Conner

19191998 · First Lieutenant

Company K, 3d Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division (Italy and France; Houssen, France, 24 January 1945)

  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star · four awards (Hall of Valor published GO texts)

Jules Herman Sitrick

19252019 · Soldier, 83rd Infantry Division (final enlisted rank not stated on VA profile)

83rd Infantry Division (Normandy replacements after D-Day; Brittany, France, Luxembourg; Battle of the Bulge, Ardennes)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal

Jimmie Kanaya

19202019 · Colonel (retired)

Medical detachment, 442nd Regimental Combat Team (Italy/France, WWII; POW after Biffontaine, Oct 1944); later Allied Translator and Interpreter Service (Tokyo), Korea, and Military Assistance Advisory Group Medical Department Operations (South Vietnam)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal · with Valor; two oak leaf clusters (VA #VeteranOfTheDay account)
  • Official Silver Star medal
    Silver Star

David H. McNerney

19312010 · First Sergeant

Company A, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division (Polei Doc, Republic of Vietnam, 22 March 1967); later Company B, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal

Benjamin F. Daniels

19432019 · Sergeant

Fire team leader, Company A, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry; sergeant, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Vietnam)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal

Jared C. Monti

19752006 · Sergeant First Class (posthumous promotion)

3d Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Task Force Spartan; Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, June 2006)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal

Brian Prening

19802004 · Corporal

Fireteam leader, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division (Yusufiyah / Triangle of Death, Iraq, 12 November 2004)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal · with Combat “V” (VA #VeteranOfTheDay account)

Megan M. McClung

19722006 · Major

Public affairs plans officer, I Marine Expeditionary Force; volunteered for duty with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division (Ramadi, Al Anbar Province, Iraq; killed 6 December 2006)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal

Brian M. McPhillips

19782003 · First Lieutenant

Tank / scout-sniper platoon commander; 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division; later 5th Regiment, 1st Marine Division (ambush near Al Jisr, Iraq, 4 April 2003)

  • Official Purple Heart medal
    Purple Heart
  • Official Bronze Star Medal
    Bronze Star Medal