Biden expected to finally award the Medal of Honor to the 1st Black veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan after years in limbo

• President Biden is expected to award three Medals of Honor for actions in Iraq and Afghanistan next week, according to a report from The Washington Post.
• The soldiers include Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe, who died in 2005 from injuries he sustained while rescuing soldiers from a burning vehicle.

The Biden administration is expected to award three Medals of Honor for combat heroism in Iraq and Afghanistan as early as next week, according to a report from The Washington Post.

Among the recipients is Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe, who died in November 2005 from injuries sustained while pulling soldiers from a burning vehicle in Iraq. His family and fellow soldiers have pushed for years for him to receive the honor that has been delayed due to paperwork, with some military advocates wondering whether it may have been an issue with his race.

Cashe would be the first Black veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive this highest honor.

Also expected to receive the Medal of Honor are Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee, a Green Beret who received the Silver Star in 2015, and Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Celiz, an Army Ranger who died in 2018 in Afghanistan.

Plumlee was previously nominated for the Medal of Honor for his actions during an enemy ambush in Afghanistan in 2013, where he was injured by a detonating suicide bomb vest. He instead received the Silver Star.

Celiz was on his 5th deployment with the 75th Ranger Regiment in July 2018 when he was killed during a firefight in the Paktia province of Afghanistan.

It has been widely speculated over the last year that Cashe would soon receive the Medal of Honor. The Department of Defense and the White House approved his eligibility in December 2020, after advocates criticized regulations that kept him from receiving the highest military honor. He was previously awarded the Silver Star.

Insider reached out to representatives from the Pentagon and the Army who declined to comment for this story.