A True Italian-American Role Model

When we look at Italians and Italian-Americans who are important or significant in our society, older Americans may say Marconi (radio telegraph), Enrico Fermi (the 1st nuclear reactor), Antonio Meucci (precursor to the telephone) and Fiorello LaGuardia (2nd most significant mayor of New York City). Younger Americans (millennials) may say Snooki, The Situation and Tony Soprano. As Americans, it is time we start to get our priorities straightened out and realize these Italian-Americans are either fictional characters who exhibit a negative stereotype of Italian-Americans or media characters (or just characters) who exhibit those same negative stereotypes and haven't really done anything significant for society except to financially and psychologically benefit from adulation of the millennials.

Instead, these young Americans should be admiring another Italian-American in the news, that person being Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta, the first living American since the Vietnam War to earn the Medal of Honor. Back in 2007, during his service in Afghanistan, Giunta's platoon was ambushed by Taliban fighters. After taking a bullet which was stopped by his protective gear, Giunta went about saving the lives of his fellow platoon members and disrupted them taking a wounded Sergeant John Brennan as a prisoner of war. Brennan died the next day in surgery, but Giunta's actions clearly saved lives and as a result, his commanding officer nominated him for the Medal of Honor.

When defining the word hero, the following quote by Oliver North, as stated through one of the main characters in his novel, The Assassins, hits the nail on the head, so to say.

"Heroes are people who do things for others at great personal risk-and expect nothing in return. Real heroes...are selfless...(they) put themselves in danger to help others-not themselves...and whether they succeed or fail, real heroes inspire others to do better by their example...to do right...to try harder."

Giunta's actions are commendable, as through his actions, he not only saved lives, but eliminated one high valued target in Mohammad Tali. His character shines when he speaks of his reaction to earning the Medal of Honor:

"I'm not at peace with that at all," Giunta said. "In this job, I am only mediocre. I’m average....And coming and talking about it and people wanting to shake my hand because of it, it hurts me, because it's not what I want. And to be with so many people doing so much stuff and then to be singled out—and put forward. I mean, everyone did something."

Staff Sergeant Giunta may disagree with my assessment, but he is an Italian-American that America's youth should be emulating and while he may continue to dispute it, Salvatore Giunta is a true American hero!