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The Medal of Honor has achieved prominence in American history like few other awards have. It’s a symbol for the very values its recipients displayed in the moments that mattered, an honor bestowed upon only the most honorable. But before it garnered such distinction, it started as a simple idea from Iowa Senator James W. Grimes—a bill ...
Signed into law July 12, 1862, the measure provided for awarding a medal of honor "to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldierlike qualities, during the present insurrection." Although it was created for the Civil War, Congress made the Medal of Honor a ...
The Medal of Honor ( MOH) is the United States Armed Forces ' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians, and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. [1] [12] The medal is normally awarded by the President of the United States (the commander in chief ...
- Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty
- March 25, 1863
- United States Armed Forces service members
Mar 30, 2023 · History of The Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest medal for valor in combat that can be awarded to members of the armed forces. The medal was first authorized in 1861 for ...
- Overview
- 1. At first, the idea of a Medal of Honor was dismissed as too “European.”
- 2. Only one woman has received the Medal of Honor, and her award was temporarily rescinded.
- 3. Theodore Roosevelt is the only U.S. president to have received the Medal of Honor, which he was awarded posthumously.
- 4. The youngest Medal of Honor recipient was awarded at 11 and was granted it at 13.
- 5. The award is not called the Congressional Medal of Honor.
- 6. It’s illegal to wear someone else’s Medal of Honor, but it’s not illegal to pretend you have one.
Discover six things you may not know about the Medal of Honor, which was signed into law 150 years ago, and its recipients.
During the American Revolution, George Washington established the first combat decoration in U.S. history, known as the Badge of Military Merit. After the conflict, it fell into disuse, as did its successor, the Certificate of Merit, bestowed during the Mexican-American War. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, proponents of a new award made their...
A medical doctor who supported feminist and abolitionist causes, Mary Edwards Walker volunteered with the Union Army at the outbreak of the Civil War. Despite her training, she initially had to work as a nurse before becoming the Army’s first female surgeon. Known to cross enemy lines in order to treat civilians, she may have been serving as a spy ...
When the Spanish-American War broke out, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt famously quit his job to lead a volunteer regiment known as the Rough Riders. Roosevelt and his men played a decisive role in the Battle of San Juan Hill and took part in other confrontations in Cuba. In 1916, less than three years before his death, the 26th...
Born in New York, 11-year-old Willie Johnston enlisted in the Union Army alongside his father, serving as a drummer boy with the 3rd Vermont Infantry during the Civil War. In June 1862, overpowered by Confederate forces, his unit retreated down the Virginia Peninsula under orders from General George McClellan. Along the way, the men discarded their...
Contrary to popular belief, the official title of the highest U.S. military distinction is simply the Medal of Honor, not the Congressional Medal of Honor. The confusion may have arisen because the president presents the award “in the name of Congress.” There is also a Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which represents recipients of the Medal o...
U.S. criminal law forbids the unauthorized wearing, manufacture and sale of military decorations, and misuse of a Medal of Honor carries a particularly heavy penalty. In 2006 President George W. Bush signed into law the Stolen Valor Act, which imposed a prison sentence of up to one year on anyone falsely claiming to have received a Medal of Honor. ...
- Jennie Cohen
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READ MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT STORIES OF HEROISM, BRAVERY, AND VALOR IN ACTION. Our interactive database contains every Medal of Honor recipient since its initial inception in 1861. Use the search bar to filter and sort the database by first name, last name, service branch, and conflict.
The. highest. and most. prestigious. military decoration. Awarded by the President, in the name of Congress, the Medal of Honor commemorates those who have shaped our nation’s history and continue to inspire its future with their acts of valor, humanity, patriotism, and sacrifice. Of the 40 million Americans who have served in the Armed ...
