Parents of Medal of Honor Recipient Salvatore Giunta Speak to Iowans

The Iowa Gold Star Military Museum at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa, opened its Iowa Medal of Honor exhibit with featured remarks by Mrs. Rose Giunta, mother of Medal of Honor Recipient Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta. Addressing a group of Blue Star Mothers and others, Giunta said that the moment at the White House Ceremony that touched her most was not when President Obama presented the medal to her son but when the president greeted the parents of her son's fallen comrades, Josh Brennan and Hugo Mendoza.

Giunta talked about such things as her surprise at being whisked from the airport in Washington in a motorcade and meeting the president in the Blue Room, but she also touched on their family and her son's life before the Army. Sal "had qualities that drove his dad and me crazy as a boy, but the Army taught him the right way" to channel those qualities. "Boot camp changed him," she continued. "His letters talked about the respect he had for his parents and the importance of honor."

Does she have advice for the parents of other service members? Rose Giunta acknowledged that when she could talk to her son early in his military career she was the typical parent, wanting to know how he was and what he was doing. She described her husband Steve's introducing her to a man who had retired from the military, and that the man's advice was a turning point for her. "He does not need you to ask about his days. You wouldn't understand anyway. He needs you to take him away from where he is." After that, she told her son what was going on in their lives and what was happening in town or with his friends.

Talking directly to the other mothers in the audience she acknowledged that, "We war, too, but we war in a different way."

What about the times sons and daughters are home on leave? "It's quick, it seems as if it's just hello and goodbye." Giunta laughed in recounting Sal's first time home, when he and his dad wanted to surprise her. An hour before his arrival, she learned he was coming and worried about not having cookies ready. They got to the airport and he was not on the expected flight and the airline employee could not say where he was or when he would arrive. At that point, Giunta said she "just put my head on the ticket counter and bawled." The agent quickly said that "maybe he could tell her a couple of things."

"It's hard when they leave again. It's overwhelming, but you need to trust and let God take over."

Partisan Politics Aside

In addition to military families, Giunta was joined by Congressmen Dave Loebsack and Leonard Boswell, both Democrats, and Republican Governor Terry Branstad. Loebsack, whose district encompasses the Giunta's town of Hiawatha, Iowa, said he could see that Sal's modesty came from his parents. He added that he saw a big part of his role as a member of the House Armed Services Committee to "make certain that troops have what they need when they serve and as veterans."

One audience member had a question for the two members of Congress. Is it true that when a Medal of Honor Winner is on the floor of Congress that all members of the House and Senate must stand? "They will if I'm there," said Boswell.

Governor Branstad referred to his recent presidential appointment as co-chair of the Council of Governors, a group Congress established in 2008 to strengthen the partnership between the federal and state governments as it pertains to national security. "Forty percent of today's military are from rural America," he said. "The National Guard has a role in the states and a strong role in national defense. It's important that states and the Department of Defense work together."

Opening the Exhibit

The ribbon cutting was quick, giving the Giuntas time to talk to other military families, with Rose Giunta talking at length to a group of Blue Star Mothers -- women who have children in the military. Despite having described herself as "not a public speaker," Giunta moved easily from military families to senior members of government and, finally, to the many members of the media who wanted interviews.

She had earlier described the changes in their lives that their son's award had brought. "It is different to have so many people paying attention to us, but it is also humbling." She credits the military, especially Col. Greg Hapgood of the Iowa National Guard, for guiding the family through the maze of appearances and the medal presentation itself. And who else gets credit? "The Postal Service has delivered letters with addresses as sparse as 'Sal Giunta, Iowa.' They've been awesome."