President awards three Medals of Honor and defends U.S. operations in Iran

President Donald J. Trump opened a ceremony honoring three service members with the nation’s highest military decoration and used his remarks to describe ongoing U.S. military operations in Iran.

Trump thanked the event chaplain and dignitaries in attendance before saying, “Today, the United States military continues to carry out large-scale combat operations in Iran to eliminate the grave threats posed to America by this terrible terrorist regime.” He characterized the campaign, which he referred to as “Operation Epic Fury,” as targeting Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile capabilities and naval assets and said U.S. forces had already “knocked out” naval vessels and struck missile-production capacity.

The ceremony recognized Master Sergeant Roderick W. Edmonds, Command Sergeant Major Terry P. Richardson and Staff Sergeant Michael H. Aulis with Medal of Honor citations read aloud by a military aide. President Trump urged the audience to stand for family members and other honorees and recounted each recipient’s actions that led to the award. He described Edmonds’s World War II actions in a German prisoner-of-war camp — saying Edmonds ordered all 1,200 American prisoners to present together to prevent the segregation and likely execution of Jewish soldiers — and praised Richardson’s conduct leading men and directing tactical air strikes under heavy fire in Vietnam. The president also recounted Aulis’s actions in Afghanistan in 2013, saying Aulis shielded a fellow soldier from a suicide vest and was killed in the act.

Chris Edmonds accepted the citation on behalf of Master Sergeant Edmonds as the military aide read the official congressional language authorizing the awards. The citations included formal authorizing language dating to the congressional statute under which the Medal of Honor is conferred.

The president also offered condolences for four service members killed in recent operations and repeatedly praised U.S. troops and their families. He made several additional remarks about the ceremony’s venue and ongoing renovations and described the work as being completed “under budget, ahead of schedule,” estimating a figure for renovation costs.

The event included remarks by a guest speaker who addressed the families and the lifelong commitment of soldiers, and closed with a benediction from Chaplain Greene asking protection for service members. No formal policy votes or legislative actions were taken during the ceremony.

The ceremony concluded after the citations were read and the closing prayer.