President Joe Biden Awards Three Soldiers Medal of Honor

Alwyn C. Cashe in army uniform — Portrait of then-Staff Sgt. Alwyn C. Cashe Army.mil

On Thursday (Dec. 16), President Joe Biden awarded three soldiers the Medal of Honor, including Sgt. First Class Alwyn Cashe, the first Black soldier to receive the distinguishment since the Vietnam War, ABC News reports.

“Today, we honor three outstanding soldiers, whose actions embody the highest ideals of selfless service,” Biden said during the ceremony. “We also remember the high price our military members and their families are willing to pay on behalf of our nation.”

“We remember the strength and the sacrifices of these military families, caregivers, and survivors,” added the President. “And we remember and renew our sacred obligation to those who served this nation in uniform.”

US Army Chaplain Major General Thomas Solhjem (2nd L), with US President Joe Biden (L), delivers the invocation during a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 16, 2021. – Biden presented the Medal of Honor to US Army Sergeant First Class Alwyn C. Cashe, Sergeant First Class Christopher A. Celiz, and Master Sergeant Earl D. Plumlee. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Sgt. Cashe was killed 16 years ago while serving in Iraq. According to the White House, he sustained fatal injuries while rescuing fellow soldiers from a burning vehicle during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Cashe was previously honored with the Silver Star however his battalion commander, Lt. Gen. Gary Brito, and other officers advocated for the highest decoration.

His widow accepted the medal on his behalf.

Tamara Cashe (L), widow of the late Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe, accepts the Medal of Honor on his behalf from U.S. President Joe Biden during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House December 16, 2021 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

“We lost our brother. He can’t be replaced. But this award means that his name his legacy will go down in history,” said Sgt. Cashe’s sister Kasinal Cashe-White.

Biden also posthumously honored Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Celiz, an Army Ranger who died at 32 years old during a 2018 firefight in Afghanistan. Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee, a Special Forces soldier who fought off Taliban suicide bombers in Afghanistan in 2013 was the third soldier to receive the Medal Of Honor and attended the ceremony.