Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) recently cosponsored H.R. 841, the Sergeant Gary Beikarch Medal of Honor Act. This legislation, named after Rochester native Gary Beikarch, guarantees that the widows of Medal of Honor recipients are eligible for the complete benefits earned by their spouses.

This bill was introduced in the House by Congressman Joe Morelle (D-NY). Additional co-sponsors include Reps. Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Andre Carson (D-IN). 

Currently, spouses of Medal of Honor (MOH) recipients face a limitation where they can only receive either the MOH pension or the Dependent Indemnity Compensation (DIC), but not both. This provision not only deprives military families of their rightful benefits but also adds to their financial burdens, adding to the already challenging emotional circumstances they face. This legislation seeks to amend the current law, enabling surviving spouses of MOH recipients to receive all the benefits they qualify for without being forced to choose between the two options.

“America’s Medal of Honor Recipients, and their families, have put so much on the line to defend our great Nation and safeguard our freedoms,” said Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. “It is only right that we ensure their surviving families receive the benefits they have earned and fully deserve. I am inspired by the Beikirch family's dedication to this issue and thank them for working to support surviving spouses nationwide. I am honored to join Congressman Morelle in this fight to get this legislation across the finish line and ensure our Medal of Honor spouses receive the benefits they deserve.”

“Medal of Honor recipients are among the most selfless, courageous, and heroic men and women who serve our armed forces,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “We have a duty to honor their profound service and sacrifice by ensuring their families receive the full benefits they deserve. I am deeply grateful to the Beikirch family for bringing this issue to my attention—it is my hope that this legislation will right a longstanding wrong and bring peace of mind to surviving spouses across the country. I look forward to working with Congresswoman Tenney and our colleagues to swiftly pass it into law.”

“Speaking personally from the perspective of my family we are so grateful for Congresswoman Claudia Tenney joining to work alongside Congressman Joe Morelle in making this a bipartisan effort in moving this bill along. This important piece of legislation needs to be passed not only because it is a benefit that my father more than earned but also because it will give us the peace of mind that my mother will be cared for in the way my father would have wanted. 

My mother's care was his top priority in his last days and the entire Beikirch family thanks Congressman Morelle and Congresswoman Tenney for advocating to right this wrong not only for us but all future Medal of Honor recipients' spouses to come. The families of our best and bravest should not have to choose between two benefits that were so courageously earned and my father would be honored to have his name on a piece of legislation that protects not only his but also other Medal of Honor recipient's families that are left behind,” said Stephanie Beikirch, daughter of Sgt. Gary Beikirch.

“I would like to thank Congressman Morelle and Congresswoman Tenney for their time and attention on this bill. The absolute last people in the country who should be struggling to keep their homes are the widows of our Medal of Honor Recipients. Gary Beikirch was a mentor and father figure to me and his only concern before he died, probably the only thing he ever asked for in his entire adult life was that his family be cared for after he’s gone. That’s a small price to thank someone who has given everything for this country. I hope this bill moves quickly so that relief can be provided to these deserving widows,” said Monroe County Veterans Services Director Nick Stefanovic. 

Read the full text of the bill here.

Duty 1st is offering 50 percent off on tickets for this event to readers of The Batavian. Use this link to purchase the discounted tickets.

Press release:

The public is invited to "Duty 1st with David Bellavia: Serving Country and Community," a 3 p.m. talk by the Medal of Honor recipient, who will be honored by the Niagara Falls community with a Key to the City. In addition, there will be a full speaking engagement and meet-and-greet.

Since getting the Medal of Honor, Bellavia has had the honor to talk to audiences from children to World War II veterans all around the Country -- he’s talked about patriotism, and service above self and shared laughs and tears with folks along the way. Now, he will finally get to deliver a talk for his friends and neighbors, hosted by the Rapid Theatre in Niagara Falls -- where half the event will be a sit-down Q&A with the audience.

The Oct. 12 event will also serve as a kick-off for a new nonprofit organization created by Bellavia, called Deuce Deuce Relief Fund Inc., which will benefit soldiers from Bellavia's prior Task Force in Iraq (Task Force 2-2).

General admission tickets are $22 (Deuce-Deuce) at the door – but Batavian readers can get a 50-percent off discount right now by preregistering using promo code Batavian. There are also publicly available deep discounts for military, whether active or VET/retired (75-percent off), and Gold Star families (free) – available at checkout, with no code required.

Tickets are available at DavidBellavia.com or on EventBrite.com – but here’s the custom link with embedded discount code: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/duty-1st-with-david-bellavia-serving-country-and-community-tickets-72099291923?discount=Batavian. If there are any issues, just enter discount code: Batavian.

Staff Sgt. Bellavia also will sign copies of his book "House to House: A Soldier's Memoir," which will be for sale onsite during this event at the Rapids Theatre, 1711 Main St., Niagara Falls.

Prior video coverage of David Bellavia's Medal of Honor:

David Bellavia visited the Holland Land Office Museum on Wednesday at the request of The Batavian for an exclusive interview to discuss his experience in Washington the week he received the Medal of Honor on June 25 in a ceremony at the White House and was inducted into the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon.

In the interview, we discuss not only his Medal of Honor, but the Medal of Honor received by Charles F. Rand, a Batavia resident often credited with being the first to enlist in the Army as a volunteer at the start of the Civil War. We discussed the "bubble" Bellavia was in during his time in Washington; the time he spent with the men he went to war with in Iraq;the men who didn't come home, most notably Capt. Sean Sims; what it was like on stage in the East Room during the Medal of Honor ceremony; the rush of people around him during the reception after the ceremony; what it means to represent the Army as a Medal of Honor recipient; and why he wanted to be sure to include in the events his friends from Western New York, especially the GLOW counties. Now that he's personally met President Donald Trump, we also asked for his measure of the man. And finally, we discussed his childrens' reaction, especially his sons, to the award.

NOTE AND POSSIBLE CORRECTION:  We have been referring to David Bellavia and Charles Rand, including in this video, as the only two Batavia residents to receive the Medal of Honor. We knew about James E. Cross but the history on Cross, as passed along to us, has been that he was born in Darien and enlisted in Batavia. County Clerk Michael Cianfrini wrote yesterday to suggest that Cross was a resident of Batavia. This morning I did a quick search on ancestry.com and it appears Cross was a resident of Batavia during the 1860 and 1870 censuses. It appears that he enlisted in Elmira. He was discharged with a disability in 1862 and was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1898. We'll see if we can find out more.

Today, The Batavian conducted an exclusive interview with Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia at the Holland Land Office Museum.

This photo shows the first time the medal awarded to Bellavia and the medal awarded to Charles F. Rand are in the same room together. Bellavia and Rand are the only two Batavians to have received the Medal of Honor.

Our interview today with Bellavia focused on his experience in Washington, D.C., last month when he received the Medal of Honor from President Donald Trump. David and I discuss some of the observations and insights Bellavia has not discussed yet in other interviews.  

Below, a video we did previously about Charles Rand and our video covering Bellavia's Medal of Honor Week, in case you haven't seen it yet, to prep you for the video interview. I hope to have that edited and later to post tonight sometime, or in the morning, at least.

UPDATE 5:30 p.m.: When I posted this, I wasn't thinking about the fact that we have the opening of Batavia Downs tonight. Covering that will greatly delay my ability to finish this video. 

Reader Paula Zack describes herself as an amateur photographer but she did a good job yesterday of capturing in still photos the program yesterday of David Bellavia receiving the Key to the City. We wanted to share them with you.

In a short ceremony at City Hall, Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia received the Key to the City from Batavia City Council President Eugene Jankowski.

Following the ceremony, Bellavia met and spoke with every single person who came to the ceremony and stayed for the chance to meet him, shake his hand, take a selfie, and even hold his Medal of Honor.

Following the event, Bellavia participated in a short press conference inside City Hall. That video is below.

My trip to Washington, D.C., to witness David Bellavia receiving the Medal of Honor and be inducted into the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon is the highlight of my journalism career.

Yes, it was a great experience to visit the White House (I'll answer the question many people have asked, "Did you meet the president?" No.) and the Pentagon, and it was an honor to see Bellavia receive the Medal of Honor. But in going to these events, what I didn't expect was how meaningful it would be to meet the men who served with Bellavia in Fallujah, Iraq. I got to see firsthand their love for each other and hear their stories and speak to several of them individually.

It was a special honor and pleasure to meet and speak with Colin Fitts, Maj. Joaquin Meno, and Sgt. John Bandy.

On Tuesday night, I was able to attend a party at a private residence in D.C. with the men of Bellavia's platoon. I was there when Meno made a toast to their fallen comrades. And though I took no pictures, made no recording, it's a moment I'll never forget.  

One of the highlights of the trip -- and there many -- was hanging out with Michael Ware, a legendary combat journalist. We spent a lot of time together and he helped me with my coverage. My interview with him figures prominently in this video.

I hope the video gives you a good sense of what took place in Washington over four days and provides you with a better sense of what happened in Fallujah on Nov. 10, 2004. The video doesn't just cover the main events -- the Medal of Honor ceremony and Hall of Heroes ceremony -- both of which were open to the press; but also the events I attended as a guest of David's while other media were excluded, primarily the reception in the ballroom of the hotel on Monday night and the reception in the White House after the Medal of Honor ceremony.

This is a complete photo gallery from my attendance of events and ceremonies in Washington, D.C., this week for David Bellavia receiving the Medal of Honor. Some of these photos come from events that no other photojournalist attended.

On Monday, Rep. Chris Collins gave a short floor speech in the U.S. House of Representatives recognizing and honoring David Bellavia on receiving the Medal of Honor. The Batavian asked for and received a video copy of the speech to share with our readers.

Also, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who once represented our area in Congress and knows David as a result, issued the following statement on Twitter:  p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 16.0px}

All of New York is proud of the courageous actions of WNY native Staff Sgt. David Bellavia while under fire.

 

His actions saved lives and his Medal of Honor is well deserved.