Speaking of Xavier Alvarez, KCET, LA's PBS station, is airing a documentary tonight on the history of the Medal of Honor. The documentary, "Medal of Honor," runs from 9 to 10:30pm.
The LA Times had a review:
With interviews and vintage images, producer-director Roger Sherman traces the history of the medal from its creation during the Civil War through the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The result renders honors where they are due without glossing over some dark spots in the medal's history: the profligate distribution in the Civil War and the refusal to acknowledge the bravery of black and Asian American troops during World War II -- a miscarriage corrected only decades later.
There are intriguing numbers: 3,473 Medals of Honor have been awarded; 102 recipients are still living. In World War II, 57% of the medals were awarded posthumously; of the five awarded for Iraq and Afghanistan, all were posthumous.
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