Pentagon suggests Medal of Honor for living recipient

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has recommended that the White House consider awarding the Medal of Honor to a living soldier for the first time since the Vietnam War, according to U.S. officials.

The soldier ran through a wall of enemy fire in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley in the fall of 2007 in an attempt to push back Taliban fighters who were close to overrunning his squad. Military officials said his actions saved the lives of about a half-dozen men.

It is possible that the White House could honor the soldier's heroism with a decoration other than the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor.

The Pentagon review has been conducted so discreetly that the soldier's family does not know that it has reached the White House, according to U.S. officials who discussed the nomination on condition of anonymity. Pentagon officials requested that the Washington Post not name the soldier to avoid influencing the White House review.

The nomination follows several years of complaints from lawmakers and the military that the Pentagon had become so cautious that only troops whose bravery resulted in death were being considered.

The presentation of a Medal of Honor to a living soldier would be an important moment for President Obama, whose relationship with the military has been strained in recent months by policy decisions and the firing of Afghan war commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

WASHINGTON POST