US
(2008-03-03)
WHITE HOUSE
(Associated Press) -
More than 25 years after his death, a Sioux Indian soldier is receiving the military's highest award.
The White House is awarding the Medal of Honor to Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble for his service in the Korean war. The honor makes Keeble the first Sioux Indian to receive the award, but it comes almost six decades after he saved fellow soldiers. Keeble died in 1982.
President Bush today apologized for the country's delay in awarding the medal to Keeble. Fellow soldiers, family members and others have been urging Congress for years to give Keeble the medal. Four lawmakers from the Dakotas introduced legislation to make the move and Bush signed it last year.
Bush says he deeply regrets that the award comes "decades too late," but adds that the nation can still honor Keeble by telling his story and following his lead in being an "everyday hero" in his community.
© Copyright 2012, Associated Press
