TriWest Teaches California Kids About Veteran's Sacrific...( Donates 5000 'Medal of Honor' ...),Health

Donates 5,000 'Medal of Honor' books and DVDs to local schools

SAN DIEGO, May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- TriWest Healthcare Alliance and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation donated 5,000 copies of the best-selling book, "Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty," to California schools.

The book chronicles the poignant stories of 139 living and deceased veterans, including nearly 20 from California, who hold our nation's highest award for military valor in combat -- the Medal of Honor. Just 3,447 medals have been awarded throughout our nation's history. Among them are men such as Pine Valley resident John Finn, a retired Naval Lieutenant who was stationed in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. When the naval station came under Japanese attack, Finn promptly secured and manned a .50-caliber machine gun on a completely exposed parking ramp. Although painfully wounded many times, he continued to return enemy fire with complete disregard for his own personal safety. It was only by specific orders that he was persuaded to leave his post to seek medical attention. Following first aid treatment, he returned to the squadron and supervised the re-arming of returning planes.

"At a time when true heroes are few and far between, we hope to get our nation's young people thinking about the qualities that distinguish ordinary men from extraordinary. The ideals of courage, selflessness and patriotism represented by the medal and those who received it, can be applied in all walks of life on any particular day -- not just in combat situations," said David J. McIntyre, Jr., TriWest President and CEO and board member of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. "These true stories come from ordinary men who responded with extraordinary courage when their nation called. It is important for our youth to be inspired by and learn from those who have gone before."

TriWest and the Foundation recently delivered over 5,000 copies to middle, junior
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