By J. Zamgba Browne
Chief Correspondent

Sen. Charles Schumer has succeeded in posthumously securing a U.S Army Medal of Honor for Pfc Emmanuel Mensah, an immigrant from Ghana who was tragically killed in a Bronx apartment fire while rescuing others late last month.

“I applaud the Army for this swift decision and for heeding our call because Pfc Mensah was an American hero and these posthumous awards now rightfully recognizes this fact.

“That Pfc Mensah is much deserving of the ‘Soldier’s Medal’ because of his courage, sacrifice and utter selflessness in the face of mortal danger, and I want to thank the Department of the Army for recognizing what happened on this sad day,” said Schumer.

“On behalf of all New Yorkers, and all Americans, I want to express my sincere gratitude to Pfc. Mensah, and this family, for the heroic actions he displayed on that fateful day, it will never be for gotten,” he added.

Pfc Mensah’s family emigrated from Ghana. He was a permanent legal resident who enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in 2016.  According to the Army, Mensah is credited with saving the lives of four people and rescuing people three times from the burning apartment building in the Bronx before succumbing to the overwhelmingly dangerous conditions.

The Soldier’s Medal must involve personal hazard or danger and the voluntary risk of life under conditions not involving conflict with an armed enemy. The Medal of valor is awarded to those who display similar acts of heroism.