Medals

Halsey McGovern's two sons, both Army lieutenants, died heroes' deaths in Korea. Robert, 23, of the 5th Cavalry Regiment, fell on Jan. 30, 1951 when his platoon was trapped on an exposed hillside. Severely wounded, his carbine ripped from his hands by a machine-gun burst, he had charged the enemy alone, hurling grenades until he fell. His avenging platoon swept over the enemy with fixed bayonets. Jerome, 21, 2nd Infantry Division, was killed twelve days later as he rallied his men in the face of murderous Communist fire. In due time, the Army announced that Jerome had been awarded the Silver Star for gallantry, his older brother, Robert, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

To most fathers, the Army's letter would have brought pride. To 65-year-old Halsey McGovern, a Washington, D.C. transportation consultant, it brought only anger. He said that he 1) would not accept the honors because he did not believe in medals for heroism, 2) disliked the way President Harry Truman was running the country. He wanted no part of the decorations "if it infers that Truman is a proper party to honor these boys and other boys who died over there."

The Army could not force the medals on the dead heroes' father, but it could make sure that their deeds were properly recorded. The honors awarded Robert and Jerome McGovern will be inscribed on their service records whether Halsey McGovern likes it or not. In the Army's opinion, the medals were not awarded to the father, but to his sons in death.

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