Wheelchairs

White House Police Force members Private Joseph Downs, left, and Private Donald Birdzell, right, are shown seated in wheelchairs while recovering in a Washington, D.C. hospital. They were wounded protecting President Harry S. Truman from an assassination attempt while he was staying at Blair House. Joseph Downs was hit in the chest, abdomen, and thigh; Donald Birdzell was shot in both legs.

President Harry S. Truman is shown bestowing the Congressional Medal of Honor on Sergeant Ralph G. Neppel, 21, Glidden, Iowa. Sgt. Neppel is one of 28 soldiers who received this award in the East Room of the White House on this day. Sgt. Neppel lost his legs below the knee in action in Germany, December, 1944.

A group of forty disabled soldiers and their attendants from Walter Reed Hospital are partially shown here as guests attending Congressional Medal of Honor ceremonies held on the White House lawn. President Harry S. Truman is shaking hands with Private First Class Samuel J. Barressi, Corry, Pennsylvania. Others in view are not identified.

A portion of the group of forty disabled soldiers and their attendants from Walter Reed Hospital are shown here as guests attending Congressional Medal of Honor ceremonies held on the White House lawn. President Harry S. Truman is shaking hands with Robert Soly, Cambridge, Massachusetts, while on the far right awaiting his turn is Arthur Hook, Rochester, New York.

In ceremonies on the White House lawn, President Harry S. Truman, center, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor to two men standing with him who served in World War II. They include left to right: U.S. Army Master Sergeant Charles L. McGaha, Cosby, Tennessee and U.S. Navy Commander Richard H. O'Kane, Dover, New Hampshire, a submarine skipper. Three wounded soldiers as seen here in wheelchairs were invited guests to the ceremony. Two are identified. They are left to right: Private First Class Robert Gordon, Cincinnati, Ohio and Sergeant Joseph Segar, McLean, Virginia.

In ceremonies held on the White House lawn, President Harry S. Truman, center, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor to the two men standing on either side of him. They include U.S. Army Master Sergeant Charles L. McGaha, Cosby, Tennessee, on the left, and U.S. Navy submarine skipper Commander Richard H. O'Kane, Dover, New Hampshire, on the right. The two wounded soldiers in wheelchairs were invited guests to the ceremony. They include left to right: Private First Class Robert Gordon, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Sergeant Joseph Segar, McLean, Virginia.

President Harry S. Truman (center) is shaking hands with U.S. Army Master Sergeant Charles L. McCaha, Cosby, Tennessee, after he presented him the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery shown during battle at Luzon, Philippine Islands on February 7, 1945. The event was held on the White House lawn. Standing to the back left of President Truman is Naval Aide Captain James K. Vardaman and directly behind Truman is Admiral William D. Leahy.

President Harry S. Truman shakes the hand of a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient shown in a wheelchair, right center. Other recipients and guests can be seen looking on during the ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Numerous photographers are present directly behind the president. Press Secretary Charles Ross is standing by the candelabra next to the door in the background. First Lieutenant Cecil H. Bolton is seated second from left, front row.

President Harry S. Truman is shown bestowing the Congressional Medal of Honor on Sergeant Ralph G. Neppel, 21, Glidden, Iowa. Sergeant Neppel is one of 28 soldiers who received this award in the East Room of the White House on this day. Sergeant Neppel lost his legs below the knee in action in Germany, December, 1944. This photo was submitted by the photographer to the third White House News Photographers Photo Contest and is titled "Nation's Highest Honor."

Outdoor view with President Harry S. Truman standing in the front center holding a poster associated with National Employment of the Physically Handicapped Week. A man in a wheelchair can be seen on Truman's left. View includes numerous men and women including Department of Labor official Robert C. Goodwin wearing a light suit and standing directly behind Truman mid-way back in the group. The president's committee on NEPH week is probably included in the group. Location is the White House Rose Garden.