• Army Sgt. Joseph F. Knight, Denver

White River, S.D., January 1891

Knight, 27, “led the advance in a spirited movement to the assistance of Troop K, 6th U.S. Cavalry.”

• Army Lt. Col. William Remsburg Grove, Denver

Philippine Islands, Sept. 9, 1899

Grove, 27, rushed ahead of his regiment to the assistance of his colonel. He killed seven enemy fighters and compelled the surrender of others.

• Army 2nd Lt. George Weed Wallace, Denver

Philippine Islands, March 4, 1900

After an ambush, Wallace, 27, fired at the enemy, pulled a wounded officer to safety and traveled a mile to summon help from his command.

• Army Capt. Marcellus H. Chiles, Denver

France, Nov. 3, 1918

Chiles, 23, picked up the rifle of a dead soldier and led his men in an advance across a waist-deep stream under fire. He was eventually shot by a sniper. He died shortly after reaching the hospital.

• Army Pfc. Jesse N. Funk, Calhan

France, Oct. 31, 1918

Funk, 30, and another soldier braved gunfire and rescued two wounded officers who were 500 yards beyond their line.

• Navy Quartermaster Frank Monroe Upton, Loveland

USS Stewart, April 17, 1918

Upton, 21, plunged overboard from his ship to rescue a man who was surrounded by exploding boxes of gunpowder.

• Army 2nd Lt. J. Hunter Wickersham, Denver

France, Sept. 12, 1918

A severely wounded Wickersham, 28, tended to the wounds of his orderly. Mortally wounded, he ordered and accompanied the advance of his platoon.

• Army Pvt. Elmer E. Fryar, Denver

Philippine Islands, Dec. 8, 1944

Fryar, 29, is credited with killing 27 of the enemy despite his own wounds. He later jumped in front of a sniper’s bullet to save an officer.

• Army Pvt. Joseph P. Martinez, Ault

Aleutians, May 26, 1943

Martinez, 22, braved machine gun fire and inspired his fellow soldiers to keep charging against an entrenched enemy. He was credited with killing several of the enemy and making it possible to overtake a strong defensive position. He was mortally wounded.

• Army Spc. Robert Dale Maxwell, Larimer County

France, Sept. 7, 1944

Maxwell, 23, and three other soldiers defended the battalion’s observation post. When an enemy hand grenade landed in the middle of his squad, Maxwell threw himself on it. He survived his wounds.

• Navy Lt. Cmdr. Bruce McCandless

Battle off Savo Island, Nov. 12-13, 1942

When more senior officers were killed, a wounded McCandless, 31, assumed command of a cruiser and led American ships to victory.

• Army Pfc. Kiyoshi K. Muranaga, Amache

Italy, June 26, 1944

Muranaga, 22, used a mortar in a single-handed attack on a German 88mm gun. He was killed by enemy fire, but destroyed the German gun.

• Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Donald Dale Pucket, Boulder

Romania, July 9, 1944

Pucket, 28, kept control of a severely damaged bomber long enough to allow some crew to escape. When other crew members couldn’t get out, he stayed at the controls until the plane hit a mountain.

• Navy Machinist Mate Donald Kirby Ross, Denver

Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941

Ross, 30, kept generators running on the damaged USS Nevada during the surprise Japanese attack after smoke and fire forced others to leave.

• Army Pvt. George Sakato, Denver

France, Oct. 29, 1944

When his unit was pinned down by heavy enemy fire, Sakato, 23, “made a one-man rush that encouraged his platoon to charge and destroy the enemy strong point.”

• Army Air Forces Brig. Gen. Kenneth N. Walker, Denver

Rabaul, New Guinea, Jan. 5, 1943

Walker, 44, launched an effective daylight bombing attack against enemy ships. During the attack, his airplane was forced down by enemy fighters.

• Marine Capt. Carl L. Sitter, Pueblo

Korea, Nov. 29-30, 1950

Despite severe wounds, Sitter, 27, led his men in a 36-hour fight against an entrenched enemy on a snow-covered hill.

• Marine 2nd Lt. Raymond “Jerry” Murphy, Pueblo

Korea, Feb. 3, 1953

Despite wounds, Murphy, 23, used a rifle to cover the withdrawal of soldiers. Later, Murphy ignored his wounds and led a search party to find other troops.

• Marine Pfc. Ronald Leroy Coker, Denver

Vietnam, March 24, 1969

A severely wounded Coker, 21, pulled a wounded comrade to safety. He died on the battlefield.

• Army Spc. Edgar Lee McWethy Jr., Denver

Vietnam, June 21, 1967

McWethy, 22, was killed while administering CPR to a comrade.

• Army Capt. Jon E. Swanson, Boulder

Vietnam, Feb. 26, 1971

Swanson, 28, used a helicopter to take on a large enemy unit. Though his chopper was hit, he took out three anti-aircraft guns before it crashed, killing him.

Marine Pfc. Ronald Leroy Coker, Denver Photo by

Army Pvt. Elmer E. Fryar, Denver Photo by

Army Pfc. Jesse N. Funk, Calhan Photo by