Plenty of legends will be born in today's Super Bowl XLV matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, and those who end up having their hands on the Lombardi Trophy when all is said and done will inevitably be labeled as "heroes" in certain parts of the country.
But the biggest hero on the field today at Cowboys Stadium was not wearing wearing either team's colors, nor was he in pads. In fact, he was there for what he had done in service of certain other colors.
This would be U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta, who was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama back in November. He is the first living recipient of the award since the Vietnam War, and he was a guest of honor today at Super Bowl XLV.
Needless to say, Staff Sergeant Giunta received a very warm welcome, as fans were standing and clapping all across the 100,000-seat stadium.
And for good reason. Staff Sergeant Giunta received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Afghanistan in late October of 2007. His squad was ambushed by a formidable group of insurgents. Enemy fire struck his body armor, but he continued to return fire while attempting to reach soldiers that had detached from the rest of the unit.
He led a small team that came to the aid of a few wounded soldiers, but he also broke off from the group on his own initiative to reach another soldier that was in need of aid. He found him being carried off by two insurgents.
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