Medals of Honor have been in the news lately. Twenty-four soldiers who fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam will receive the Medal of Honor March 18 at the White House, correcting oversights that prevented many of them from receiving the nation's highest award for valor because of their Hispanic, Jewish and African-American backgrounds. The awarding of 24 Medals of Honor - most of them posthumously - will be the largest number to be awarded at one time since World War II.

Tomorrow, our state Senate will adopt resolutions sponsored by Sen. Steve O'Ban, R-University Place, recognizing two of the three recent Medal of Honor recipients who reside in Washington. Staff Sgt. Ty Michael Carter will be honored with Senate Resolution 8713 for his heroic actions in the Kamdesh district of the Nuristan Province of Afghanistan, and Sgt. Leroy Arthur Petry will receive a similar honor with Senate Resolution 8714 for his sacrifice in Afghanistan's Paktia Province.

That's awesome.

For details and background on the presentation and herorics, read a news release out of the O'Ban camp below.

The resolution for Carter, who makes his home in Spokane, will be adopted shortly after 9 a.m. while Carter is present. Petry's resolution will be adopted during the noon hour; Petry, who is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, will not be in attendance as he is on active duty. However, a public ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. April 2 to present Petry with a copy of SR 8714.

During a firefight with the Taliban on May 26, 2008, enemy combatants lobbed a grenade in the direction of Petry and his unit. With little regard for his own safety, Petry picked up the grenade and attempted to throw it out of the area where he and his fellow fighters had sought refuge. The grenade exploded in his hand, but Petry's actions helped shield his fellow soldiers and provided them with the opportunity to return fire while safely withdrawing from the combat area.

On Oct. 3, 2009, Carter and his unit were attacked by more than 300 enemy combatants. He was able to retrieve additional weapons and ammunition to bring back to his station, treat the wounds of fallen soldiers and carry one over 100 meters to a first-aid station where he helped keep his comrade alive until reinforcements arrived to assist in evacuation efforts.