Heroes from a post-9/11 era of war

William Swenson of Seattle, Wash., stands with a group of World War II veterans during a 10th Mountain Division ceremony at the WWII Memorial, Oct. 13, 2013 in Washington, D.C. President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Swenson, a former active duty Army Captain, for conspicuous gallantry. Swenson is being honored for his courage during a deadly seven-hour battle in Afghanistan where he risked his own life recover bodies and to save others.

•More about Capt. Swenson from the U.S. Army

Staff Sgt. Ty Michael Carter of Antioch, Calif., with Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry, at the Forward Operating Base Bostick in Kunar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan in March of 2010. Carter took part in one of the deadliest battles ever waged by U.S. forces on Oct. 3, 2009 when hundreds of insurgents attacked their combat outpost "Keating" in eastern Afghanistan. According to the army, “He resupplied ammunition to fighting positions, provided first aid to a battle buddy, killed enemy troops, and valiantly risked his own life to save a fellow soldier who was injured and pinned down by overwhelming fire.”

(Left) Chaplain Emil Kapaun served in the Korean War and died in a prisoner of war camp on May 23, 1951. Soldiers who knew him never forgot the plain-spoken chaplain who urged them to keep their spirits up. Kapaun is credited with saving hundreds of soldiers during the war.

(Right) President Barack Obama stands with Ray Kapaun in the East Room of the White House after posthumously awarding the Medal of Honor to Emil Kapaun, on April 11, 2013. Ray is the nephew of Chaplain Emil Kapaun who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism while serving with the 3d Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division in Unsan, Korea.

Clinton Romesha, former active duty Army staff sergeant, is applauded by President Barack Obama, right, after presenting him with the Medal of Honor during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 11, 2013 in Washington, D.C. Romesha received the medal for conspicuous gallantry for actions taken on October 3, 2009 at at Combat Outpost Keating, Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan.

President George W. Bush, right, awards Debra and Dan Dunham, the parents of Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, the Medal of Honor in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Jan. 11, 2007. Dunham was fatally injured in Iraq when he jumped on an insurgent's grenade to protect his fellow Marines. He used his helmet and his body to absorb the blast.

President George W. Bush, right, presents the Medal of Honor to Sally and George Monsoor, parents of Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, during an East Room ceremony April 8, 2008, at the White House in Washington Monsoor, a Navy SEAL from Garden Grove, Calif., threw himself on top of a grenade on Sept. 29, 2006, in South Ramadi, Iraq, saving the lives of three comrades and three Iraqi soldiers.

Paul Monti carries the Medal of Honor that was posthumously awarded to his son at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Sept. 17, 2009, in Washington. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti was killed June 21, 2006, in Afghanistan while attempting to rescue one of his fellow soldiers and fighting off an attack from insurgents.

President George W. Bush, right, stands with Daniel (left) and Maureen Murphy after presenting them with a Medal of Honor in recognition of their son in the East Room at the White House in Washington, on Oct. 22, 2007. Navy Seal Lt. Michael P. Murphy, from Patchogue, N.Y., was killed June 28, 2005, in Afghanistan, where he repeatedly tried to call for assistance for his team, despite a fierce firefight. He exposed himself to enemy fire so he could gain a better position to transmit a call.

President George W. Bush presents the Medal of Honor to Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith's 11-year-old son, David, of Tampa, Fla., as his mother, Birgit, second left, and sister Jessica look on April 4, 2005, at the White House in Washington. Smith was killed April 4, 2003, while protecting the lives of scores of lightly armed American soldiers who were building a holding area for prisoners of war near the gates of Baghdad International Airport.

President Barack Obama applauds U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry after awarding him the Medal of Honor for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty" during a ceremony at the White House on July 12, 2011. Petry lost his right hand while throwing away an enemy grenade that endanged two fellow Rangers in Paktya, Afghanistan, in May 26, 2008.

As an Army private in Iraq, Ross McGinnis was a gunner in an armored vehicle. When a grenade fell through the hatch on Dec. 4, 2006, he alerted his crew and covered the live grenade to absorb the shock of the blast, sparing their lives.

As special forces soldier in the Army, Staff Sgt. Robert Miller was pinned down during a patrol in Afghanistan on Jan. 25, 2008. His two dozen men were surrounded by some 150 insurgents. He drew fire on himself as a distraction, all the while, calling out the enemy’s position and firing his weapon.

As a soldier in Afghanistan, Sgt. Giunta's platoon encountered an ambush on Oct. 25, 2007. Despite an injury, Giunta exposed himself to fire, pulling a solider back to cover. Then, he killed an insurgent and wounded another when they attempted to carry away another comrade.

Marine Corps Cpl. Dakota Meyer poses for a photo while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan’s Kunar province. Meyer received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama on Sept. 15, 2011. During six hours of fighting after an ambush by insurgents on Sept. 8, 2009, Meyer saved 13 Marines and Army soldiers and 23 Afghan soldiers, killed at least eight insurgents, and carried from the battle zone the bodies of four fallen comrades — despite being wounded himself.