U.S.
Trump will award Medal of Honor on Monday to 3 soldiers, 2 posthumously
Stars and Stripes
February 27, 2026
A composite image featuring three soldiers who will receive the Medal of Honor from President Donald Trump on Monday: Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds, who died in 1985; then-Staff Sgt. Terry P. Richardson, who is retired and now ranked command sergeant major; Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, who died in 2013. (Krista Hoffler/U.S. Army)
President Donald Trump on Monday will award the Medal of Honor to three soldiers who each fought in a different era, two of whom are being recognized posthumously.
The medal is the highest military decoration awarded by the U.S.
Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds, who died in 1985, will receive the medal for shielding Jewish prisoners of war from Nazi guards in 1944. Edmonds was ordered to line up more than 1,200 American troops in the camp and have Jewish soldiers to fall out separately, but he ordered all POWs to stand together, telling the guard “We are all Jews.” Edmonds held firm despite being threatened by the guard, who eventually gave up.
Then-Staff Sgt. Terry P. Richardson, who is retired and holds the rank command sergeant major, will receive the honor for his actions in the Vietnam War in 1968. Richardson is credited with saving the lives of 85 fellow soldiers, according to an Army news release. He first rescued three severely wounded soldiers under heavy machine gun fire, and then upon returning to his unit and realizing they were surrounded, he again braved enemy fire to get to a vantage point from which he could direct airstrikes. He continued to do this for hours, despite being wounded by an enemy sniper, the release said.
The medal will also be given to Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, who died in combat in Afghanistan in 2013. Ollis was serving with the 10th Mountain Division when his outpost in Ghazni came under attack by insurgents. During the battle, the 24-year-old Staten Island native stepped in front of wounded Polish Lt. Karol Cierpika to protect him from a suicide bomber. His actions were credited with saving several other lives.
Robert Ollis, father of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, touches the embossed lettering of his son’s name on a memorial plaque at a ceremony Oct. 27, 2023. The dining facility at Camp Kosciuszko in Poznan, Poland, was named after Michael Ollis at the ceremony. (Karen Sampson/U.S. Army)
Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor for protecting about 200 Jewish American prisoners of war and daring a German officer to shoot him. (Chris Edmonds)
The recognitions come after several service members were recognized during the president’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.
The former Navy pilot Royce Williams received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Korean War.
An Army pilot wounded in the raid that captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro raid, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover, also received the Medal of Honor.
Two West Virginia National Guard members who were shot in Washington, D.C., last November received the Purple Heart (one posthumously).
Scott Ruskan, a Coast Guard swimmer who saved 165 people from flooding in Texas last July, received the Legion of Merit.