Eight minutes to remember an attack that unfolded in seconds.
Eight minutes to acknowledge the friends who might not have been standing there without him.
Eight minutes to honor a dog who had no idea why everyone was looking at him.
Then came the award.
The K9 was formally recognized for his courage and sacrifice.
But the medal itself was only a symbol.
The real proof of what he had done was already standing around him.
The soldiers were alive.
K-9 Valor, a Belgian Malinois, receives Congressional Medal of Honor for saving 47 soldiers
A Hero Who Never Asked to Be Called One
Human beings often talk about heroism as though heroes deliberately decide to become legends.
Most do not.
Heroism often appears in moments when there is no time for speeches or careful decisions.
Something terrible happens.
Someone else is in danger.
And an individual acts.
That may be what makes the courage of military working dogs so powerful.
