Jeb Bush’s quest to prove that he is the most veteran-friendly Republican presidential candidate is more than just lip service. On the same day that Bush unveiled his platform to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs, Bush announced that his campaign had received personal endorsements from 12 Medal of Honor recipients.

The veterans publicly throwing their support behind Bush include:

Kyle Carpenter, USMC, Afghanistan
James Livingston, USMC, Vietnam
Harold “Hal” Fritz, USA, Vietnam
Jay Vargas, USMC, Vietnam
Alfred Rascon, USA, Vietnam
Leo Thorsness, USAF, Vietnam, former Prisoner of War
Bruce P. Crandall, USA, Vietnam
Robert Modrzejewski, USMC, Vietnam
James Taylor, USA, Vietnam
Sammy Davis, USA, Vietnam
Leroy Petry, USA, Afghanistan
Donald “Doc” Ballard, USA/USN, Vietnam

The Medal of Honor is the nation’s most prestigious award for military service and valor. It is so seldom awarded that there are only 79 living Medal of Honor recipients.

Because the pool is so selective, the 12 award winners supporting Bush actually represent 15 percent of all Medal of Honor winners. Twelve isn’t a large number, but if you are building a platform based on veteran support, the Medal of Honor is a good place to start.