Romania ROMANIA: Medals for Liviu Librescu?

[Ed_Haynes]

[April 23 (2007)] Vox Populi: President Bush has to award a medal to Hero Liviu Librescu!

romanian-gymnastics.com

WASHINGTON / As the storm raised last week by the heroic gesture of the Romanian born Liviu Librescu has lowed a little, people has started asking, all over the Internet: What honor should Liviu Librescu receive? Why US didn't gave him (yet) a Medal? Vox Populi (People Voice) over the web says: US President Bush has to award a Medal to Romanian born Hero Liviu Librescu!

On the democraticunderground.com forum , "piedmond" wrote: "This man led an exemplary life, and gave it up in valorous defense of his students. We owe it to ourselves and our children to hold him up as an example of the ideals we believe in. Please write your congressional representatives and ask that they cosponsor legislation for bestowing this honor on him."

The only question remaining is: should the Medal be the Presidential medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal or...both? "I wonder if anyone has ever been honored with both" asked rhetorically "piedmond" on same forum; "That's reserved for colossal failures, until 2009 at least.", Answered ironically "BurtWorm".

The White House has confirmed for romanian-gymnastics.com last Saturday that our message for President Bush has arrived at the White House:" On behalf of President Bush, thank you for your correspondence. We appreciate hearing your views and welcome your suggestions. [...] Thank you again for taking the time to write."

The message was:

Dear Mr President,

We would like to recommend that Professor Liviu Librescu be considered for a Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his heroic efforts to protect his students while teaching at Virginia Tech.

He sacrificed his own life using his own body to barricade the entrance to his classroom from the gunman. This brave Romanian born Americano-Israeli, so cognizant of the value of life, chose to place himself in harm's way so that his young charges might have a chance to escape.

Despite the political turmoil going on right now in Romania, this country has already honored Liviu Librescu with their highest award he could be given, The Star of Romania!

You may consider that United States, for which he scarified his live, owes Him that little.

Thank you for your time. God Bless America!

Need (some) evidence for Professor Liviu Librescu's Heroic gesture? "A series of shots rang out from an adjoining classroom, followed by screams. Prof. Librescu rushed to the door and held it shut. His engineering students dived for cover behind their desks."

In a letter addressed to Prof. Librescu's wife Marlena, one student described how he climbed out the window, but paused on the ledge to look back. "I saw your husband still standing there. He was holding the door closed and looking over his shoulder to make sure everybody else was safe. It was the bravest thing I have ever seen and I will always remember his courage," the student wrote.

Another simply wrote: "I think he saved my life." Prof. Librescu was fatally shot, and died on his classroom floor. But by the time the gunman managed to get inside, most of his students had escaped to safety." (The Globe and Mail)

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award which may be bestowed by the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the United States government. The decoration is awarded to "any individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States."

As Jews worldwide honored on Monday the memory of those who were murdered in the Holocaust, a 76-year-old survivor sacrificed his life to save his students in Monday's shooting at Virginia Tech College that left 33 dead and over two dozen wounded.

Romanian born Professor Liviu Librescu, 76, threw himself in front of the shooter when the man attempted to enter his classroom. The Israeli mechanics and engineering lecturer was shot to death, "but all the students lived - because of him," Virginia Tech student Asael Arad - also an Israeli - told Army Radio. Several of Librescu's other students sent e-mails to his wife, Marlena, telling of how he had blocked the gunman's way and saved their lives, said Librescu's son, Joe. "My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," Joe Librescu said in a telephone interview from his home outside of Tel Aviv. "Students started opening windows and jumping out."

An online Petition was initiated "To Honor Professor Liviu Librescu with the President Medal of Freedom" because "He showed a love and caring for his students above and beyond that of a normal teacher. Professor Librescu is the example of the Bible verse "Greater love that no man that he lay down his life for another." His sacrifice was sacrifice "of a true hero, whom embodies the American and Israeli spirit." A second petition call for "Presidential Medal of Freedom for Professor Liviu Lebrescu" because "His selfless actions saved many lives. He is the true definition of a hero and the nation should remember that as his legacy."

Another idea, a letter to your US representative, this time for the Congressional Gold Medal, came from 'Behind the Aegis':

Dear Sir or Madam:

On April 16, 2007, amidst the great tragedy of Virginia Tech murders, a man emerged as a hero. His actions, according to his own students, saved their lives and cost him his own. This man was Dr. Liviu Librescu. A professor at VA Tech for several years, Dr. Librescu began his life in Romania and within a short few years of life became a survivor of one of the greatest genocide of the 20th Century, the Holocaust. Dr. Librescu survived to become an accomplished professor and, once again, survived under yet another bloodthirsty dictator. He then moved to Israel for several years, before coming to the United States some twenty years ago to educate young minds at Virginia Tech. The Yom Hashanah, a day set aside to remember the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, was also on April 16, 2007. It was that day, that a Holocaust survivor, Dr. Liviu Librescu, sacrificed his own life by using his body to barricade the door to his classroom, preventing a gunman from entering, and allowing his students to flee through the windows. The day a murder took the lives of thirty-two innocent individuals, including Dr. Liviu Librescu, he became a hero. This dedicated educator, accomplished author, award winner, Holocaust survivor, husband, and father died so that others may live. I ask that you and your colleagues introduce legislation to confer the Congressional Gold Medal upon Dr. Liviu Librescu. He was in life, as in death, an example of a true hero. I hope you will agree with me and bestow our country?s highest honors on a truly inspirational, deserving, and heroic man.

Romania was the first to award to Liviu Librescu's widow, last week, the Highest Romanian Honor: The Star of Romania medal which only a handful of people received by now.

This recognition gesture was made in just few hours from presenting the petition to the Romanian President Basescu. In three hours or so, the Decree was signed and a Presidential envoyee sent to Israel to deliver the Medal during the funerals. That's efficiency and highest respect...on time! (a World Record in a democracy? pretty close to one!) The presidential representative attended Liviu Librescu's funeral in Ra'anana on Friday. Romanian officials laid a wreath at the grave.

Other (yet ignored) US Heroes may come on the line for a medal, too. As revealed in NewsMax.com, that was proven in Pearl, Miss., in 1997, when 16-year-old Luke Woodham used a hunting rifle to kill his ex-girlfriend and her close friend, and wound seven other students after having killed his own mother. His murder spree was stopped only when Assistant Principal Joel Myrick got his handgun from his car and halted Woodham?s shooting spree. He kept Woodham at bay until the police arrived. While the shooting was widely reported, the fact that Myrick ? an armed citizen ? prevented a larger massacre with his gun was ignored by the media.

During 2004, the Presidential Medal of Honor was awarded to: Mormon Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, actress Doris Day, golfer Arnold Palmer, politician Edward Brooke, historian Vartan Gregorian, National Geographic Society Chairman Gilbert Grosvenor, cosmetics mogul Estee Lauder, actress Rita Moreno, ophthalmology researcher Arnall Patz, journalist Norman Podhoretz economist and banker Walter Wriston. "He'd be in very poor company indeed..."says 'The ######'

"Oh, so Bush has run out of them?" says Deep13; let's hope not.

By the way, two more questions: why Israel didn't (bothered to) organized State Funerals, as an Hero deserve? I bet His native country, Romania, would did this for Him! (they send him at once the Highest Honor, so...); and, of course, Israel...where is the Medal?

http://www.romanian-gymnastics.com/news/20...iu_librescu.htm

Edited May 4, 2007 by Ed_Haynes

[Kev in Deva]

With regards Romania making an award I heard they already did, when talking to a member of the Hobby Club in Deva, last week, he said he got the Order of the Star of Romania!!

This afternoon I will ask for more details, with regards the funeral I believe it was the families wishes for a modest affair.

Kevin in Deva

[Carol I]

Kevin, Prof. Librescu received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania and this was also mentioned in the article Ed posted.

Romania was the first to award to Liviu Librescu's widow, last week, the Highest Romanian Honor: The Star of Romania medal which only a handful of people received by now.

[Ed_Haynes]

While the article I posted was far from the world's best journalism, it did raise some interesting points.

[Kev in Deva]

OOOPS....some how missed that bit

Kevin in Deva