Pentagon Recommends First Medal of Honor for Living Soldier

WASHINGTON, July 5, 2010 -- As the nation enjoys a holiday weekend celebrating the Fourth of July, word has come down from the Pentagon that for the first time since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan a living serviceman could receive the Medal of Honor -- the nation's highest military decoration for valor.

It would be the first time the Medal of Honor has gone to a living serviceman since the Vietnam War.

U.S. officials have told ABC News that the Pentagon has sent a recommendation to the White House that a specific soldier be awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic action during a 2007 firefight with the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan.

Since the U.S. military began fighting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Medal of Honor has been awarded, posthumously, six times. If the White House approves the Pentagon's recommendation, it would be the third Medal of Honor awarded for heroism in Afghanistan.

The officials said the soldier repelled a Taliban attack by running through a hail of flames that saved the lives of six of his squadmates during a firefight in the Korengal Valley. Until recently, U.S. forces based in this remote area of Afghanistan's Kunar Province faced almost constant attack from Taliban insurgents, earning it the nickname "Valley of Death."

Earlier this year, the military closed the remote outposts located in the lightly populated valley in an effort to consolidate military resources as part of the counterinsurgency strategy to protect larger population centers.

Officials hesitate to disclose any further details about the soldier's identity, or the incident itself, while the White House considers the Pentagon's recommendation.

Ultimately, it is President Obama who will decide whether this heroic act merits the Medal of Honor. The White House may choose to honor the soldier with another military decoration.