What is The Medal of Honor, and Who Gets It?

The Medal of Honor is the United States of America’s highest and most prestigious personal military decoration. It may be awarded to recognize U.S. military service members who have distinguished themselves by acts of courage. The Medal is presented to the recipient, or their next of kin, by the President of the United States in a formal ceremony.

An act of valor must have been performed while engaged in combat with an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. There have been 3,526 Medals of Honor recipients from the Civil War to the present day, including 19 double and one triple recipients.

The first Medal of Honor was issued during the American Civil War and was created on July 12, 1862, by a Joint Resolution of Congress. On March 3, 1863, Congress specified the manner in which the Medal of Honor could be awarded, and on April 14, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln approved a Navy version of the Medal of Honor. The Army version had been authorized earlier. Since its creation, the Medal of Honor has been awarded more than 3,500 times.

Who is Eligible to Receive the Medal of Honor?

The criteria for the award have changed over time. During World War II, for example, Congress broadened the criteria to include any “act or acts of heroism” as long as they were performed “in connection with military operations against an armed enemy” and were accomplished with “distinction above his comrades.”

Congress again amended the Medal’s statute when it added a requirement that persons awarded the theMedall perform their act or acts “while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States,” “while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force,” or “while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force.”

Recipients of the Medal of Honor are entitled to certain privileges and benefits, including a monthly pension above and beyond any other compensation to which they may be entitled, eligibility for burial at Arlington National Cemetery, and special honors.
The President may award the Medal of Honor posthumously.

“The following information is from the DOD Manual of Military Decorations & Awards: General Information, Medal of Honor, and Defense/Joint Decorations and Awards, Volume 1, including changes as of May 15, 2015. This section provides detail on the procedures involving recommendations for the MoH, presentation of the MoH, and courtesies and privileges afforded MoH recipients. In addition, see list, which illustrates the general process from the instant a servicemember performs an act warranting recommendation of an MoH and is nominated through the chain of command (on the left side of the chart), and also the process involving congressional request for consideration (on the right side of the chart).”

For the brave brothers-in-arms who paved the way for our freedom, we owe them all a debt of gratitude that can never be fully repaid.

Check out our Team Room for our contributor-filled Medal of Honor Recipients list.