Panetta upholds denial of Medal of Honor to dead hero

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has upheld his predecessor's decision to deny the Congressional Medal of Honor to a Marine who witnesses say saved the life of his buddies by scooping up a live grenade and tucking it under his own body.

I first blogged about the incident in September of 2008. Sgt. Rafael Peralta (right) was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross instead, in large measure because the witnesses disagree about which hand he used. Medical testimony also claims that what the witnesses saw would have been impossible. His family- and the men whose lives he saved- are understandably upset.

Sgt. Peralta deserves better.

HT: Drudge