Obama to award Medal of Honor to Army veteran of Afghanistan war

President Obama will award Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha the Medal of Honor during a ceremony next month, just the fourth living recipient to be awarded the honor for service in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Romesha will be awarded the medal for his actions during the Battle of Kamdesh, one of the bloodiest days for American soldiers during the Afghanistan conflict. During the battle, hundreds of Taliban insurgents swarmed an American combat outpost in Eastern Afghanistan, overwhelming the coalition forces and leaving eight Americans dead and another 22 wounded. According to The New York Times, attackers overran the base, set fire to the barracks and captured the post's ammunition depot.

Romesha and his family will join the president at the White House on Feb. 11.

The Medal of Honor is "awarded to members of the Armed Forces who distinguishe themselves conspicuously by gallantry above and beyond the call of duty," according to the White House. The high honor is only given to service members who display "great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life."

The honor was first awarded in 1863, during the American Civil War. The last recipient was a posthumous award to Army Spc. Leslie H. Sabo Jr. for his actions after his platoon was ambushed during the Vietnam war.

The announcement came Friday, as President Obama met with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai at the White House. According to the White House, during the talks Obama "reaffirmed the United States’ respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty and reiterated that as Afghanistan takes full responsibility for its security and development, the United States continues to be committed to supporting the Afghan people."

---