Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates shares a laugh with Medal of Honor recipient Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta (2nd from right) and members of the 1st Squad, 1st Platoon, Battle Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, in Gates' office in the Pentagon on Nov. 17, 2010. Giunta, the first living Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War, received the nation's highest military award for his actions of valor during an enemy attack in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan in Oct.ober 2007 when he risked his life to save the lives of his fellow soldiers.