Biden awards Medal of Honor to 7 US Army veterans

President Joe Biden on Friday awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, to seven U.S. Army veterans for heroism during the Korean War and Vietnam War.

"I'm deeply privileged to honor seven American heroes. That's not hyperbole," said Biden, who noted that Friday's ceremony was the last time he would award the Medal of Honor as president. "These are genuine, to-the-core heroes. Heroes of different ranks, different positions, even different generations, but heroes who all went above and beyond the call of duty, heroes who all deserve our nation's highest and oldest military recognition, the Medal of Honor."

The Medal of Honor is awarded to those who "distinguish themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of their own lives above and beyond the call of duty," according to the White House.

"The meritorious conduct must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life," it said ahead of the White House ceremony taking place just under three weeks before Biden leaves office.

Five of the recipients were killed in battle. Among the two who survived and being honored is Korean War veteran Richard Cavazos, who became the first Hispanic four-star general for the Army.

Cavazos, who has since died, received the Medal of Honor for heroism when fighting as a first lieutenant in the Korean War, for which he previously received the Distinguished Service Cross.

"He was a man of deep faith who loved his country, loved his family, loved his soldiers, and it was that love, that selfless love of which there's no greater love that drove him up the hill that night in 1953 to collect the men of his company and get them to safety," his son Tommy Cavazos told reporters ahead of the ceremony.

Richard Cavazos was ordered to withdraw his troops while fighting under intense enemy fire and brought his troops to safety, according to the Army. However, he remained on the battlefield alone and found five wounded men, evacuating them one by one. He then returned to the battlefield to search for missing soldiers, leading at least two groups of men who had been separated from the main fighting force to safety.

"He firmly believed that the Army provided the opportunity for ordinary citizens to raise their hands, take their oaths and do the extraordinary job of protecting this country," Tommy Cavazos added.

On May 9, 2023, Fort Hood in Texas was renamed Fort Cavazos as part of a broader Biden administration effort to rename military installations named after Confederate generals.

"Gen. Cavazos was known around the Army as a battle proven warrior," Lt. Gen. Sean Bernabe, commanding general of III Armored Corps, said at the time. "Let his name and all that it represents inspire us all every single day to live up to his legacy."

Pfc. Charles R. Johnson, Cpl. Fred B. McGee, Pfc. Wataru Nakamura and Pvt. Bruno R. Orig were honored for actions in the Korean War, while Capt. Hugh R. Nelson Jr. and Pfc. Kenneth J. David were honored for actions in the Vietnam War.

David, who also previously received the Distinguished Service Cross, is the only recipient still alive. He was awarded for gallantry in a 1970 battle in which he helped his team of 14 soldiers push back hundreds of North Vietnamese troops.

On May 7, 1970, David exited his platoon's defense perimeter and repeatedly drew attention toward himself after an initial enemy assault that mortally wounded his platoon leader and several other service members, according to the Army.

"Surrounded on three sides by the larger enemy force, he engaged them with his rifle and hand grenades," the White House said in its press release. "When the enemy attempted to concentrate their fire on the wounded, Private First Class David jumped from his position and yelled to draw the fire back to himself."

Though wounded in the attack, he continued to draw enemy fire away from his platoon so the wounded could be evacuated, denying aid for himself until all others were safe.

"Imagine that courage -- come get me, come get me, don't get those folks. That's selflessness," Biden said Friday. "Ken, I want to say to you, that I wish I could say to every man that we're honoring today, you're a hero, a genuine hero, flat-out, straight-up American hero. And we owe you."

"It was not until the last helicopter was landing that he retreated from his position in front of the perimeter and continued laying down fire until finally being evacuated himself," the White House added.

ABC News' Matt Seyler and Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report.