President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Honor to three Army veterans on Thursday afternoon (watch above).

Two of the recipients – U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe and Sergeant First Class Christopher Celiz – received the award posthumously. Both succumbed to wounds they received in battle. A third honoree, Army Master Sergeant Earl D. Plumlee, was present for the White House ceremony.

“Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude today as we honor the unparalleled courage and commitment to duty and the indispensable, indisputable gallantry,” Biden said.

Cashe, 35, rescued fellow soldiers from a burning vehicle in Iraq in 2005.

“The sergeant extracted himself and without hesitation turned back to the vehicle to help free the driver and extinguish flames on the driver,” Biden explained. “In the process, Sergeant First Class Cashe’s uniform, drenched in fuel, caught fire, causing severe burns.”

Cashe died three weeks after his heroics. He is the first Black Medal of Honor recipient since 9/11.

CBS News describes Celiz’s valor:

In Afghanistan in 2018, Celiz used his body as a shield when his unit was attacked. He braved machine gun and small arms fire to allow others to maneuver to safety and begin treatment of the critically wounded. When a medevac helicopter arrived, it was immediately targeted by the enemy forces. Although injured, Celiz motioned to the aircraft to depart rather than remain to load him. He remained engaged with the enemy so the aircraft could take off. He died as a result of his wounds on July 12, 2018.

“In the face of extreme danger, he placed the safety of his team and his crew above his own,” the president said.

The Washington Post reports on Plumlee’s bravery:

He is credited with taking on rifle-wielding suicide bombers — at times from no more than a few dozen feet away — at Forward Operating Base Ghazni on Aug. 28, 2013, after enemy fighters detonated a 400-pound truck bomb at the edge of his base, leaving a 60-foot wide breach.

Plumlee, then a staff sergeant, and five other special operations soldiers mounted two vehicles to get to the breach site, with Plumlee’s driver, Sgt. 1st Class Nate Abkemeier, maneuvering their Toyota pickup truck into enemy fire to shield wounded teammates. Plumlee exited the vehicle under fire, shot back with a pistol and occasionally found himself alone in the ensuing battle, with insurgents knocking him off his feet after detonating suicide vests.

“Outnumbered, with no regard for his own safety, at times armed with only a pistol, Staff Sgt. Plumlee attacked the insurgent forces, taking them on one by one,” Biden said. “And time and again, bullets flew by, sometimes only inches away. And time and again, Staff Sgt. Plumlee closed with the enemy.”

“Each of you know what it is to stare down danger and summon strength in the face of a moment of trial,” Biden added. “We’re grateful for all that you three have done.”