him and simultaneously the previously wounded insurgent reemerged and engaged staff sergeant david bellaviaentering further into the darkened room he returned fire and eliminated both insurgents. he then received enemy fire from another emerging from a closet in a darkened wound and receiving gunfire staff sergeant bellavia one of the stairs and eliminated him. he then moved to a door that opened to the roof. at this point, 50 insurgent leapt from the third floor roof onto the second floor roof and staff sergeant bellavia engage the insurgent from a window wounding him in the back and legs and causing him to fall on the roof. acting on instinct to save his platoon, staff sergeant bellavia ultimately cleared an entire enemy field house, destroyed four insurgents and badly wounded a fifth . staff sergeant bellavia bravery, complete disregard for his own safety and unselfish and courageous actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon self and the united states army. >> [ applause ] >> come on up here. , and up. come on up. >> chaplain. >>

we give thanks to staff sergeant david bellavia. s character, commitment, and courage were forged over a by his faith, his family, his friends, and a disciplined life of selfish devotion to duty. god bless david, his family, and his many comrades in arms this day. medal placed around his neck be an inspiration for all to place others over self. i praise these things in your most holy and gracious name. amen. much trump: thank you very . thank you, chaplain, very much. that's really beautiful. today it is my privilege to award the highest military honor to an american soldier who demonstrated exceptional courage to protect his men and attended -- and defend our nation. will you please join me in sergeant david bellavia. david, thank you. [cheers and applause] pres. trump: david is the first living recipient turn the congressional medal of honor for his bravery in the iraq war. [cheers and applause] honoredump: and we are to have with us distinguished leaders of our military. i want to recognize acting deputy secretary of defense david

will you please join me in welcoming staff sergeant david bellavia? david, thank you.cheers and applause] pres. trump: david is the first living recipient to earn the congressional medal of honor for his bravery in the iraq war. [applause] pres. trump: we are honored to have with us distinguished leaders of our military. i want to recognize acting deputy secretary of defense david norquist. david, thank you very much. and congratulations. acting secretary of the army ryan mccarthy. come here, ryan. let me just say hello to you. [laughter] pres. trump: congratulations. just happened yesterday, so i have to congratulate. congratulations. vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff general paul selva. thank you, paul. army chief of staff general mark milley. hi, mark. and sergeant major of the army daniel dailey. thank you, daniel, very much. thanks as well to members of congress who join us: representative liz cheney. thanks, liz. chris collins. thanks, chris. dan crenshaw. tom reed. thank you. thank you, tom. i see you over there, tom. thank you very much. joining david

will you please join me in welcoming staff sergeant david bellavia. david, thank you.cheers & applause] david is the first living recipient to earn the congressional modern of honor for his bravery in the iraq war. [cheers & applause] and we're honored to have with us distinguished leaders of our military. i want to recognize acting deputy secretary of defense, david norqiust. acting celebration of the army, ryan mccarthy. congratulations. just happened yesterday. i have to con gradlate him. and general paul silva. army chief of staff general, mark emlay. and thanks as well to members of congress who join us, representative liz cheney. thanks, liz. chris collins. thanks, chris. dan crenshaw, tom reed. thank you. thank you, tom. i see you over there. thank you. joining david for this special ceremony are his wife, deanna and three children, evan, aden and vivian. along with his mother, marilyn and his brothers daniel and rand. i want to thank you all for being here, a special day for you and for all of us. for the nation actually. [applause] david's father, william, pas

join me in welcoming staff sergeant david bellavia. applause ] david is the first living recipient to earn the congressional medal of honor for his bravery in the iraq war. [ applause ] we're honored to have with us distinguished leaders of our military. i want to recognize acting deputy secretary of defense david norquist. thank you very much and congratulations. acting secretary of the army, ryan mccarthy. come here. let me say hello to you. just happened yesterday so i have to congratulate him. congratulations. vice chairman of the joints chiefs of staff. army chief of staff general mark millie and sergeant major of the army, daniel daly. thank you very much. thanks as well to members of congress who join us. chris collins, thanks, chris. dan crenshaw. tom reid. thank you. thank you, tom. i see you over there. joining david for this special ceremony are his wife and three children, evan, aiden and vivienne along with his mother and brother. i want to thank you for being here for all of us, for the nation, actually. thank you. [ appl

sergeant first class colin fitz. >> were it not for david bellavia, i wouldn't be sitting here today.reporter: he was just 29 years old, and today, sergeant bellavia became the first living medal of honor recipient from the iraq war. >> the medal of honor to staff sergeant david g. bellavia. united states army. for conspicuous gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. >> reporter: president trump placing the medal around his neck. moments later, in the east room, 32 american service members who fought with sergeant bellavia sharing the stage. >> i never thought i'd see love on a battlefield, but you see people doing things for each other that they would never, ever do in any other circumstance, and it is a sight to see. it will change your life forever. >> reporter: and today, he shared his honor with them. and we salute army staff sergeant david bellavia tonight and his platoon. thank you for watching. i'm david muir. hope to see you tomorrow. good night. i'm david muir. hope to see you tomorrow. good night. >>> dirty stations, violent crime, bart needs to

staff sergeant david g. bellaviahe call of duty on november 10th, 2004, while serving as squad leader in fallujah, iraq. while clearing a house, a squad from his platoon became trapped within a room by intense enemy fire coming from a fortified position under the stairs, leading to the second floor. recognizing the immediate severity of the situation and with disregard for his own safety. he retrieved an with enemy rounds around him he fired at the enemy position providing cover fire and allowed the squad to break contact and exit the house. a bradley fighting vehicle was brought forward to suppress the enemy but due to high walls surrounding the house they could not fire at the enemy position. the staff sergeant recentered the house and became under intense fire and he encountered a insurgent with a grenade the staff sergeant assaulted the enemy position, killing one insurgent and wounding another who ran to a different part of the house. staff sergeant bellavia realizing he had a room to his back and moved to clear

david bellavia saved a squad during a deadly fire fight with insurgents in fallujah, iraq.ary acts of bravery which took place on his birthday. >> reporter: stef sergeant david bellavia is the first living veteran of the iraq war to receive the medal of honor. >> david today we honor your extraordinary courage -- >> reporter: in 2004, fallujah in western iraq was violently slipping out of control. >> get back. get back. >> reporter: he was leading a squad of soldiers to clear a block of buildings where insurgents had taken cover. >> we knew exactly what type of urban fight it would be and it turned out to be everything we expected. >> reporter: according to the army, he entered a house multiple times, killing or wounding multiple insurgents on two floors. one of the insurgents even loading a rocket-propelled grenade launcher before being killed by him. >> he put himself in the line of the fire and laid down a base of fire, overwhelming the enemy long enough for me to get myself and the members of my squad out. >> reporter: eventually more troops arrive, which only added to

>>staff sergeant david bellavia is the first living veteran of the iraq war to receive. >>david today, we honor your extraordinary courage. we salute selfless service. >>was violently slipping out of control. they'll appeal was leading a squad of soldiers to clear a flock of buildings where insurgents, taking cover. >>we knew exactly what type of urban fight it was going to be it and it turned out to be everything we expected. >>according to the army, fia entered a house multiple times killing or wounding multiple insurgents on 2 floors, one of the insurgents even looking a rocket propelled grenade launcher before. and you put yourself in the law that far. >>and laid out a base of fire. overwhelm the enemy. long enough for me to get myself and the memb adding to the chaos. >>everyone in that building was bleeding everyone that building had glass metal ricky shays get friendly fire and the fire and you're stuck in the middle of it there are a whole lot of options any hesitation would cost lives might her unit did the job that they were trying to do the shows the honor is

. >> dubois: president trump today awarded the medal of honor to army staff sergeant david bellavia. the line to save his squad in the bloodiest battle of the iraq war in fallujah in 2004. david martin on an american hero. ro reporter: staff sergeant david bellavia and his ten-man squad were going house to house searching for terrorists. >> we're going to leave shortly. >> reporter: it was his 29th birthday 15 years ago. >> we walked into a house, and on the second door inside the home, bullets started flying. >> reporter: a deafening maelstrom of tracer rounds flying in every direction, captured on camera by journalist michael ware. bellavia fired a machine gun to cover his squad's retreat... r nobody's hit! >> reporter: ...but he felt he had failed his men. >> i ran out because i was out of plans and i was scared to death. >> reporter: and failed the infantryman's code of battle. >> we fight until you don't fight anymore and we take you out, but we don't break contact. >> reporter: but you just did. >> and that really was insulting to me. >> reporter: in his documentary, michael wa

and we salute david g bellavia. that's "nightline." and we salute david g bellavia. ♪ ♪ and we salute david g bellavia. that's "nightline." you can always catch our ♪ this is how driving should feel. the tech-advanced nissan leaf. the best selling electric vehicle of all time. this is nissan intelligent mobility. ♪

. >> president trump today awarded the medal of honor to army staff sergeant david bellavia. he put his life on the line to save his squad in the bloodiest battle of the iraq war in fallujah in 2004. david martin on an american hero. >> reporter: staff sergeant david bellavia and his ten-man squad were going house to house searching for terrorists. >> we're going to leave shortly. >> reporter: it was his 29th birthday 15 years ago. >> we walked into a house, and on the second door inside the home, bullets started flying. >> reporter: a deafening maelstrom of tracer rounds flying in every direction, captured on camera by journalist michael ware. bellavia fired a machine gun to cover his squad's retreat. >> nobody's hit! >> reporter:.but he felt he had failed his men. >> i ran out because i was out of plans and i was scared to death. >> reporter: and failed the infantryman's code of battle. >> we fight until you don't fight anymore and we take you out, but we don't break contact. >> reporter: but you just did. >> and that really was insulting to me. >> reporter: in his documenta

sergeant first class colin fitz. >> if it were not for david bellavia, i would not be sitting here todays old, and today sergeant bellavia became the first living medal of honor recipient from the iraq war. >> the medal of honor to staff sergeant david g. bellavia. united states army. for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. >> reporter: president trump placing the medal around his neck. moments later in the east room, 32 american service members who fought with sergeant bellavia sharing the stage. >> i never thought i'd see love on a battlefield. but you see people doing things for each other that they would never, ever do in any other circumstance. and it is a sight to see. it will change your life forever. >> reporter: and today he shared his honor with them. >> and our thanks to david for that story. bellavia saying it is an absolute honor to serve in the u.s. military. and about becoming the first living iraq war veteran to receive the medal of honor, he said this entire thing, i can't even comprehend it. >> in true heroic fashion, he really wante

>>veteran staff sergeant david bellavia receive the medal of honor we honor your extraordinary courage. we salute selfless service bella vi accepted the award from president trump on behalf of those he served with in fallujah that this is our war and we're treating it like it's our ward. >>and they've really they're loving kindness is really meant the world to me on 11/10/2004 the platoon came under attack while on a mission we were multiple insurgents. >>we ended up being pinned down under fire. and we could we could need retired sergeant first class college hits credits bellavia spree very for saving his life. >>war correspondent michael ware was embedded with the group in witness the heroic acts izabella v a. >>had to go back to dock and house. >>way he knew that there was at least 5 will seek suicidal jahi's whiting. >>was originally awarded the silver star, then in 2016 after second review from the defense department president trump decided that bella vi is actions were deserving of the nation's highest honor for valor. >>now retired from the military bellavia tells me it's his ho

yesterday president trump presentsed former army staff sergeant david bellavia with the special honor. they were going house to house searching for terrorists in fallujah when they came under fire. he fought enemies with his weapons and bare hands >> i'm proud to be a veteran and serve with the men and women of iraq. this entire thing, i can't even believe it. >> bellavia is the first living iraq war veteran to receive the medal of honor. >>> and coming up only on "cbs this morning," the head of inthe gram sits down with gayle to talk about new changes to the app to prevent bullying. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." just wet, squeeze and erase tough messes like bathtub soap scum and caked-on grease from oven doors. now mr. clean magic eraser comes in disposable sheets. they're perfect for icky messes on stovetops, in microwaves, and all over the house. for an amazing clean, try mr. clean magic eraser, and now, new mr. clean magic eraser sheets. brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath.

was the bloody est fighting of the iraq war, the second battle of fallujah and staff sergeant david bellavia's 29th birthday bellavia and troop's mission that night they cleared out a block of buildings wherein surge entitles were believed to be hiding it was captured in this hbo documentary. at the 10th house, an ambush bellavia and his team trapped in the dark facing relentless fire. >> you don't know who, how many, who is shooting, what's the situation. it's total chaos >> reporter: bellavia squeezed the trigger of his machine gun until it was empty, saving the soldiers' lives, allowing them to get outside later bellavia went back in. >> you're waiting for your life to end there's no, there's no chance of getting out of it. >> reporter: an assault at close range. first targeting insurgents preparing to fire a rocket propelled grenade. how many guys did you single handedly take out? >> four and mortally wounded a 5th. >> reporter: for that heroism bellavia became the first living iraq war veteran to receive the medal of honor >> today we honor your extraordinary courage and salute yourselfle

army staff vjt david bellavia received the nation's highest military honorfor his heroic actions duringttle of fallujah, the bloodiest battle of the entire iraq war. bellavia was leading a squad going building by buildiar cleg out terrorists and weapons. in one building they came under attack. >> david knew they had to get out. david thought that they had had had it. he lept into the torrent of bullets and fired back at enemy without even thinking. he just took over. david took he provided suppressive fire while his men evacuated rescuing his entire squad at the risk of his own life. only when his men were all out did david it the building. >> bellavia is from new york and now co-hosts a daily radio talk show and is the co-founder of vets for freedom, ave conservati veterans advocacy group. >>> ah, decision 2020. preparations arnin high gear i miami. we're just one day away from the first debate of the p campaign. this is a live look at the debate stage still getting s up as you can imagine. 20 candidates over two nights, that's a lot of ople. ey are going to be detailing their position

in 2004, david bellavia and his platoon were ambushed andtr pped by enemy fire.is credited with saving the lives of those in his squad. e is the first living iraq war veteran to receive the medal of honor. congratulations. >>> 6:56 here are the four things to know. former special counsel robert mueller has agreed to testify testify in public before two congressional committees next month. he is expected to discuss details about his investigation into russian interference during the 2016 presidential el ction. stay with the "today show" next for the latest. >>> several d.c. councilembers pushing for more rules for scooters in the city. riding ke no late-night and setting speed limits for sidewalk and street riding. find out more on the nbc washington app, j search scooter. >>> play ball. the annual congressional baseball game kicks off tonight at 7:05 at nats park. the republicans are looking to end the democrats winning streak. justin showed the big trophy up for abs. l the proceeds from tonight's game goes towards d.c. area charities. >>> tonight is the first de

and staff sergeant david bellavia.ff, in this hbo documentary. >> open up. >> reporter: at the ambush, bellavia and his team, trapped in the dark, facing relentless fire. >> you don't know how many. who's shooting. what's the situation. it's total chaos. >> reporter: bellavia squeezed the trigger of his machine gun until it was empty. saving the soldiers' lives allowing them to get outside. later, bellavia went back in. >> you're waiting for your life to end. there's no chance of getting out of it. >> reporter: an assault at close range. first, targeting insurgents prepared to fire a rocket-propelled grenade. how many guys did you take out? >> four and mortally wounded afifth. >> reporter: bellavia became the fifth to receive the honor. >> we salute your service. >> reporter: bellavia emphasizes a message of unity. >> it doesn't matter who you love. what god you worship. there's no dog tag that has a political affiliation, we're in it forever. >> reporter: a life of sacrifice that bellavia hopes resonates with new sold

president trump presented the nation's highest award to staff sergeant david bellavia tuesday.ceive issed his medal for his actions while serve iing as squad leader in praugs phantom furry. he single handedly saved the lives of his entire platoon during a fire fight in fallujah. >> my award has always been i'm alive and i'm home. that's grthe greatest thing in e world to have. >> because of him every member of his squad came home with him. >> the story of his bravery is remarkable. one after another, he took on these insurgents in a dark house patiently and saved his entire team. >> courage. >>> the bronx bombers living up to their nickname setting a a new mark for the long ball. andy shols with that story in the bleacher report. if you have a garden you know, weeds are lowdown little scoundrels. with roundup sure shot wand you don't need to stoop to their level. draw the line. the sure shot wand extends with a protective shield to pinpoint those pesky bedfellows. it lets you kill what's bad right down to the root while comfortably guarding the good. draw the line with the roun

. >>> and of course our thanks to staff sergeant david bellavia and his family for his service and their sacrifice. you can follow me on facebook and twitter at jake tapper and tweet at "the lead" and our coverage on cnn continues right now. thanks for watching. >>> happening now, breaking news, deplorable conditions as 100 migrant children are returned to an overcrowded border facility where conditions have been described as unconscionable, reacting ahead customs of border protection resigns and the president is very concerned. >> trading insults. president warns iran that attacks on anything american will lead to an overwhelming response and even obliteration but the iran leader said the white house is suffering from mental disability. >>> duncan cheater. prosecutor as lentil congressman duncan hunter embezzled thousands of dollars in campaign funds to pay for extramarital affairs including staffers and lobbyists. >>> and student vanishes. concern is growing for a university ofutia student who disappeared a week ago after getting into a vehicle with someone she appeared to know. her ph

veteran for the first time today according to a white house press release former army sergeant david bellavia is receiving the award for quote conscious gallantry while serving as a staff sergeant in the us army's. >>well in falluja iraq back in 2004 when into a house where his squad was track. >>and in that battle provided cover while engaging with insurgents, so his fellow soldiers could get out. >>everyone in that building was bleeding everyone that building had glass metal ricky shays get friendly fire and the fire. >>and you're stuck in the middle of it there are a whole lot of options any hesitation would cost lives. >>might her unit did the job that they were trained to do. >>tv when the army in 1999 also served in kosovo he's written a book about his experiences in fallujah and now has a daily radio talk show in buffalo new york. >>the victim's fund for sick and dying 9 11 first responders is running out of money and now they say mitch mcconnell is promising to get those funds extended ahead of schedule. omar jimenez has the latest. >>these men and women in uniform and 9 uniform, the

david bellavia ithe first living veteran of that conflict to receive the nation's highes military award. he risked his life repeatedly, to save his platoon lujah, in 2004. city supervisors in san francisco have voted to ban the sale and distribution-c ofarettes. today's decision makes it the first american city to take that step. enforcement would begin early next year. san francisco is home to juul labs, the biggest producer of e-cigarettes in the country. federal reserve chair jerome powell said today that the central bank is "insulated from short-term political pressures," despite the president's growing criticism. he also said the fed is grappling with whether to cut interest rates. and, on wall street, tech stocks led the market lower, partly on weak economic data. the dow jones industrial average lost 179 points to close at 26,548. the nasdaq fell nearly 121 points, and the s&p 500 slipped 28. str:l to come on the newshou "on the southern border." funding u.s. border operations a as ting head of the border patrol resigns. "stonewall at 50." the legacy of the uprising, and what it

staff sergeant david bellavia cleared insurgent strong point.ons making him the first iraq war veteran to receive the honorable. >> staff sergeant bellavia, whose intrepid spirit and unwavering resolve defeats our enemies, protects our freedoms and defends our great american flag. david, today we honor your extraordinary courage. we salute your selfless service. and we thank you for carrying on the legacy of american valor. steve: and joining us live right now staff sergeant bellavia joins us along with his close friend and "fox & friends weekend" co-host pete hegseth. good morning to both of you. staff sergeant, it is such an honor to have you with us today. >> that's very kind of you, thank you, sir. steve: could you take us back to that day that we have been talking about in 2004. >> second battle of fallujah. marine corps effort the army. 22 cav and 22 infantry which was my unit. we were brought in there to support. this enemy had six months to sit unmolested and we went in there and it was close quarter combat, you know. it's grizzly stuff.

brian: it opens up with david bellavia he freezes.reeze and he does nothing. little does he know later on in the war he becomes this hero when he goes into a house, doesn't freeze and enacts a way that you would expect superman to. >> absolutely. i think that was part of the calculus. this guy is not your typical army guy. i mean, he is into the arts. is he funny. all guys in the military are funny. he can electric particularet le. >> i heard never are making a movie. >> they should make a movie. it will make a ton of money. first living recipient of the middle of honor. everyone else is post thom muse columbus. will president obama didn't like it very much. he got the silver star. a lot of people felt like it should be upgraded on meddings of honor. good on president trump for reviewing his file. >> he seems like the idea type of person you would wanted on his team. if you could turn to your right or turn your left and have someone right beside you seems like the guy. >> he did it in the ceremony, too. he didn't get a chance to say a

. >>> former army staff sergeant david bellavia received a medal of honor president trump gave him the he saved his platoon during an intense fire fight in 2004 the 43-year-old is from lyndonville, new york. he left the army in 2005 >>> 8:05 that's the news for now. how about a morning boost? >> shall we? >> a police officer in orlando, florida, returning home from work when he saw someone driving on the wrong side of the road. turns out, it was his own daughter take a look at what happened next >> oh, okay. >> license and registration. >> couldn't tell where we were going there. >> insurance, please you don't have a driver's license. this isn't a laughing matter you think this is funny? >> smile and laugh like that, you can't arrest her, right? >> adorable. >> plus, it was her first driving offense, so officer alex kemp decided to let her go with just a warning. >> i didn't know where you were going with a tease i thought it was a teenager on the road that's adorable. no more tickets for her. >>> ahead this morning, a family bravely moving forward how country star granger smith and hi

bmy staff sergeant david belavilla who isng honored for his heroic actions during the second battle of fallujah,a ions that saved the lives of his entire squad. bellavia hosts aaily talk show and he works on behalf of a conservative veteran advocacy group. >> president trump served anotheta verbal at on iran as the tensions continue to escalate. the president warned against, quote, attacking anything american saying, quote, it will be met with great and overwhelming force. president trump had been encouraging talks tween the u.s. and tehran after putting new sanctions in place yesterday. that sparked outrage from iran. during a televised address president hassan rouhani said the dite house mental problems. >>> d.c. council member jack evans isde nding his name for the first time since the fbi raided his home last week. today evansed surpris his council colleagues by demanding an opportunity to give his side of the story before they vote to strip him of a powerful committee post. despite that, news 1's mark epgraves reports evans still isn't talking to rorters. >>> it was near thehe end of t regularly scheduled d.c. council breakfa meeting. council mem