Medal of Honor recipient participates in S.C. Military Dept. officer promotion ceremony
February 26, 2009
COLUMBIA, SC – February 21, 2009 – Medal of Honor recipient Col. Charles Murray honored Maj. Gen. Eugene Powell and Lt. Col. W. Thomas Smith Jr. by attending their promotion ceremony, Saturday, and presenting the two officers with congratulatory gifts.
Murray – who received the Medal of Honor in 1945 for single-handedly attacking and defeating a German infantry force which was numerically superior to the platoon Murray (then a 1st Lt.) was commanding in Dec. 1944 – presented the two S.C. Military Dept. (SCMD) officers with autographed copies of Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty by Peter Collier and Nick Del Calzo. [Powell and Murray are pictured above.]
Powell, who received his second star, serves as commander of the Joint Services Detachment (JSD) of the SCMD. He is a federal administrative law judge and former commander of the 12th Judge Advocate Detachment (Military Law Center).
Brig. Gen. Eugene F. Rogers, a serving general-officer in the JSD and project chair for the Medal of Honor Society’s 2010 Convention, says, “Gen. Powell is uniquely qualified – in terms of both his judgeship and more than three decades of distinguished military service – to lead JSD during this time in which the detachment has committed to honoring America’s heroes and our state through our forthcoming national convention.”
Smith – a writer, military analyst, and former U.S. Marine rifle-squad leader – was transferred from the S.C. State Guard to the JSD where he serves as information officer for the Medal of Honor Society’s 2010 Convention project. Rogers says, “Lt. Col. Smith is an exceptionally able officer.”
Murray’s attendance was the second such honor for Smith who in October was administered the oath of office for major by Medal of Honor recipient and U.S. Navy SEAL Michael E. Thornton.
About the Medal of Honor 2010 Convention:
The Medal of Honor Society’s 2010 Convention will be hosted by the S.C. State Guard Foundation (Maj. Gen. Nelson Lacy, pres.) and the Citadel (Lt. Gen. John Rosa, pres.), Sept. 29—Oct. 3, 2010 in Charleston, S.C.
