US lawmakers are advocating for the swift passage of legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal — the highest civilian honor bestowed by the US Congress — to retired Cmdr. Everett Alvarez Jr., an 86-year-old Navy veteran recognized as the first aviator shot down in the Vietnam War and the second-longest held prisoner of war … Continue reading U.S. Navy Pilot, The Second-Longest Held POW In American History, Likely To Receive Congressional Gold Medal