House unanimously passes bill to posthumously award Medal of Honor to Iraq hero

In another rare political occasion,  Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives put aside their differences and unanimously passed a bill that authorizes President Donald Trump to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe (pictured) for the heroic actions he took in Iraq.

The bill was introduced by retired U.S. Navy Seal and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R), U.S. Army Special Forces Reservist and Rep. Michael Waltz (R), and Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D).

According to a press release by Rep. Waltz, “ the bill would make a technical change to federal law, which generally requires that the Medal of Honor be awarded within five years of the actions that are the basis for the award, a requirement that Congress regularly waives.”

“It’s not every day you read an extraordinary story like Alwyn Cashe’s,” Waltz said. “His bravery in the face of danger has inspired so many already – and this is a significant step forward to properly recognize him for his heroism. I’m incredibly proud to see the House of Representatives come together in favor of this legislation to award him the Medal of Honor. Now we need our colleagues in the Senate to pass our bill.”

“With unanimous passage of our bill by the House today, we are one step closer to ensuring that Alwyn Cashe receives the Medal of Honor he earned,” said Murphy. “I am grateful that so many Americans are learning of and being inspired by SFC Cashe’s heroic actions, which are so extraordinary that they nearly defy description. Now our fight to properly honor this soldier turns to the United States Senate, where I know we will have many allies and we will not stop working until we get this across the finish line.”

“We are one step closer to properly recognizing Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe for his bravery in risking his own life to save his fellow soldiers,” said Crenshaw. “He is deserving of the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military award for bravery on the battlefield and we urge that the Senate quickly follow suit and pass our bill to make sure that happens.”

U.S. Department of Defense Sec. Mark Esper agreed with the trio of representatives that SFC Cashe deserved the Medal of Honor.

“After giving the nomination careful consideration, I agree that SFC Cashe’s actions merit award of the Medal of Honor,” wrote Esper. “Before we can take further action with this nomination, Congress must waive this [five-year] time limit. Once legislation is enacted authorizing the President of the United States to award, if he so chooses, the Medal of Honor to SFC Cashe, I will provide my endorsement to the President.”

President Trump will be hard-pressed not follow through with the award.