A San Diego family is receiving the Medal of Honor for a relative who died more than 150 years ago.
Union Army 1st Lt. Alonzo Cushing fought in the historic Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 during the Civil War. According to historical documentation, Cushing was injured twice in the war and when told to move to the back of the battle line, he refused. That decision took his life, but his courage has lived on.
That's why historians and Cushing's family have been fighting the last 40 years for him to get the Medal of Honor.
“The Civil War was so important in defining what America is, contributions obviously on both sides. So many families lost loved ones in that war, but we became a better nation as a result," said Brooks Ensign of San Diego, a relative of Cushing’s.
In the Civil War days, the Medal of Honor wasn't commonly awarded to officers, and it was rarely given posthumously. Ensign and his family are overjoyed their ancestor is finally being recognized.
“Apparently he is the longest delayed Congressional Medal of Honor,” Ensign said.
Ensign's mother, Helen Loring Ensign, is traveling from San Diego to Washington, D.C. to accept the medal from President Obama on behalf of the family. The ceremony will take place Nov. 6 at the White House.
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“We have talked in our family about this man over the years," Helen Loring Ensign said in a phone interview with NBC 7.
"We've all treasured memories of what a great person he was. So it's really our way of saluting his great valor under fire," she added.
Cushing's family continues to pass down the history by giving their children the middle name “Cushing.” His family plans to share the medal among the family, and then it will be rotating on display in museums.
