The featured speaker for the 2023 Medal of Honor Evening is historian and author James M. Scott, whose bestselling book Rampage, chronicles the bloody battles through the Philippines as the US Army, led by General Douglas MacArthur fought their way to victory in the Pacific.
It was during that brutal campaign, SSG Raymond Cooley demonstrated bravery, valor and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, by covering a grenade with his body to save his comrades, thus earning him the Medal of Honor.
