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His name goes beyond the sport of boxing. His name is used in other cities in the midwest, most notably Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Mr. Louis received the Congressional Medal of Honor the year after he passed.
He was a giant in his sport!
He did not receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. That is an honor for war heroes, not sports stars.
He spent some time in the Army, but never saw combat, he was more of a good will ambassador than anything else.
A great fighter, but he has no business being buried in Arlington.
Google in Joe Louis-Congressional Medal Of Honor. Several items pop up.
According to Wikipedia, Congress stated "He did so much to bolster the spirit of the American people during one of the most crucial crucial times in American History and which have endured throughout the years as a symbol of strength for the nation."
He passed on April 12, 1981. President Reagan waived the regulations regarding the burial at Arlington.
He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor on August 26, 1982.
Mr. Louis enlisted in the U.S. Army on January 10, 1942. From what I've read he did not see combat duty. He did participate in a variety of charity bouts for the military though as a member of the Special Services Division. He was discharged on October 1, 1945.
Last edited by DOUBLE H; 11-06-2011 at 07:30 PM..
Reason: spelling, addition
Agreed, misread twice in the one small sentence! A lot of the sites do say Congressional Medal Of Honor, should have looked a tad closer at the wiki layout. Regarding President Reagan, it was a little surprising. I don't know of other athletes who were in that position. When I think of other athletes who served in WW-II, particularly active duty, the ones who come to mind are Ted Williams, Chuck Bednarik, Tom Landry, etc.
Williams served in combat as a pilot in Korea. I do not know the rules for getting into Arlington as far as what you have to have done.
Had Williams been buried in Arlington rather than being frozen, there likely would have been some backlash from some groups saying he got in more because of his baseball career than his combat record. That's probably the case for any fanous person who might be buried there.
Intersting bit of trivia.....Can you name the only Oscar winner at Arlington?
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