MedalHonor

The MedalHonor ishighest military decoration inUnited StatesAmerica. It was first awarded duringAmerican Civil War andlatest actionwhichhas been awarded was Somalia. It has often been given posthumously. It was originally given onlyenlisted men although Army officers first received them1891Naval officers1915. Itoften erroneously called"Congressional" MedalHonor.

Many MedalsHonor awarded in19th century were associatedsavingflag, not justpatriotic reasons, but becauseflag wasprimary meansbattlefield communication.

Duringafter20th century,medal has been awardedextreme bravery abovebeyondcallduty, whereperson consistentlypersistently has put his comrades safety foremost toutter disregardhis own life.

The medal consists ofgold star surrounded bywreath, topped by an eagle onbar inscribed withword "Valor." The medalattached tothick blue ribbon, whichthen worn aroundneck.

The MedalHonor also confersspecial rank on its recipients. The highest ranking officer inUS militaryrequiredinitiatesalute, no matter how lowrank ofrecipient, manythem enlisted personnel.

Tablecontents

1 MedalsHonor awarded since 1863 2 Quotation 3 Recipients ofMedalHonor Include 4 External Link

MedalsHonor awarded since 1863

2625 before20th century, 1130 after 1900

• Civil War 1520
• Indian Wars 423
• 1871 Korean Expedition 15
• Spanish-American War 109
• Philippine-American War 91
• Boxer Rebellion 59
• 1914 Veracruz Expedition 55
• 1915-33 Central American actions 13
• World War I 123
• World War II 433
• Korean War 131
• Vietnam War 239
• Peacetime 192

Pueblo, Colorado issite ofNational MedalHonor Memorial. Until recently, Pueblo was unique asresidencefour living recipients ofmedal.

Quotation

• "The MedalHonor issmall, five-pointed star that hangs fromblue ribbon, butcomes at suchterrible price that itan unquestioned tribute tobraveryanyone who wears it." Robert Rawlings, The Pueblo Chieftain.

Recipients ofMedalHonor Include

• Richard Antrim
• Smedley Butler
• William Harvey Carney
• Joshua Chamberlain
• Jimmy Doolittle
• Frederick Funston
• Bob Kerrey
• Douglas MacArthur
• Audie Murphy
• Theodore Roosevelt
• James Stockdale
• Charles Watters
• Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV
• Alvin York

External Link

• Congressional MedalHonor Society web site

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See also MedalHonor (computer game).