Medal of Honor created President Abraham Lincoln signs into law a measure calling for the awarding of a U.S. Army Medal of Honor, in the name of Congress, to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier-like qualities during the present insurrection. The previous December, Lincoln had approved a provision creating a U.S. Navy Medal of Valor, which was the basis of the Army Medal of Honor created by Congress in July 1862. The first U.S. Army soldiers to receive what would become the nation s highest military honor were six members of a Union raiding party who in 1862 penetrated deep into Confederate territory to destroy bridges and railroad tracks between Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia. In 1863, the Medal of Honor was made a permanent military decoration available to all members, including commissioned officers, of the U.S. military. It is conferred upon those who have distinguished themselves in actual combat at risk of life beyond the call of duty. Since its creation, during the Civil War, more than 3,400 men and one woman have received the Medal of Honor for heroic actions in U.S. military conflict. First Medal of Honor action The earliest military action to be revered with a Medal of Honor award is performed by Colonel Bernard J.D. Irwin, an assistant army surgeon serving in the first major U.S.-Apache conflict. Near Apache Pass, in southeastern Arizona, Irwin, an Irish-born doctor, volunteered to go to the rescue of Second Lieutenant George N. Bascom, who was trapped with 60 men of the U.S. Seventh Infantry by the Chiricahua Apaches. Irwin and 14 men, initially without horses, began the 100-mile trek to Bascom s forces riding on mules. After fighting and capturing Apaches along the way and recovering stolen horses and cattle, they reached Bascom s forces on February 14 and proved instrumental in breaking the siege. The first U.S.-Apache conflict had begun several days before, when Cochise, the Chiricahua Apache chief, kidnapped three white men to exchange for his brother and two nephews held by the U.S. Army on false charges of stealing cattle and
kidnapping a child. When the exchange was refused, Cochise killed the white men, and the army responded by killing his relatives, setting off the first of the Apache wars. Although Irwin s bravery in this conflict was the earliest Medal of Honor action, the award itself was not created until 1862, and it was not until January 21, 1894, that Irwin received the nation s highest military honor. Has anyone earned two Medals of Honor? Some 3,500 Americans have received the Medal of Honor since it was first introduced in the 1860s, but to date, only 19 have earned the military s highest award for valor on two occasions. The first was Civil War cavalryman Thomas Ward Custer, younger brother of George Armstrong Custer, who received his medals for capturing Confederate flags and enemy soldiers on two separate occasions in April 1865. He later died alongside his brother at 1876 s Battle of Little Bighorn. Nine more men received two Medals of Honor in the 19th century, including Robert Augustus Sweeney, an African American sailor who heroically saved shipmates from drowning in both 1881 and 1883. Four others were twice honored in the early 20th century during peacetime service as well as conflicts in Haiti, China and Mexico. The five most recent double recipients all came during World War I, but each was technically honored twice for a single act of valor. The men were Marines working with the U.S. Army, and they received both the Navy and Army Medals of Honor for the same incident. Regulations now stipulate that soldiers cannot receive two citations for a single action. Perhaps the most notable two-time Medal of Honor recipients are Smedley Butler and Dan Daly, both Marines who began their careers in the late-19th century before serving in World War I. Butler received his first medal for guiding his men through a firefight during U.S. involvement in the Mexican Revolution in 1914. He was later honored a second time during the American occupation of Haiti, and went on to achieve the rank of major general in 1929. Dan Daly received his two Medals of
Honor for actions in China and Haiti in 1900 and 1915. He later became one of the most famous soldiers of World War I for rescuing wounded troops and singlehandedly charging an enemy machine gun nest during the Battle of Belleau Wood. The actions earned Daly a recommendation for yet another Medal of Honor a record third but military brass ultimately opted for the Distinguished Service Cross instead. 1862 To Present The Navy medal was the first to be struck, followed quickly by the Army version of this award. There are three different types of Medals of Honor today as seen directly below: the original simple star shape established in 1861 which the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard have retained; a wreath version designed in 1904 for the Army; and an altered wreath version for the Air Force, designed in 1963 and adopted in 1965. The 3 Present Day Variations of the Medal Of Honor When considering the design of the Medal of Honor there are two factors one must remember: 1) The Medal of Honor was designed in the early days of the Civil War to represent the valiant efforts of the Union Army, Navy and Marines, and 2) Over the years as the Medal has become a historic symbol of the bravest of the brave, in respect to all who have earned it, little has been done to change its design. The Medal of Honor: 6 Surprising Facts Over one hundred fifty years ago today, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law a measure calling for an award known as the U.S. Army Medal of Honor to be bestowed upon such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most
distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier-like qualities during the present insurrection." (The conflict referenced was the Civil War.) A provision the previous December had created a similar honor for the U.S. Navy. Since then, 3,458 men and one woman have received the Medal of Honor, the United States highest military decoration. On the anniversary of the medal s creation, discover six surprising facts about the award and its recipients. 1. At first, the idea of a Medal of Honor was dismissed as too European. 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 case to Winfield Scott, general-in-chief of the Union Army. Scott, a respected commander despite being too feeble and corpulent to mount a horse in the waning years of his career, scoffed at the suggestion, saying it smacked of European tradition. It was only after his retirement that Medal of Honor supporters in Congress could introduce bills providing for the decoration. 2. Only one woman has received the Medal of Honor, and her award was temporarily rescinded. 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 Confederate troops captured her in the summer of 1864. Walker was later released as part of a prisoner exchange and returned to duty. On November 11, 1865, President Andrew Johnson presented her with the Medal of Honor, making her the only woman to date to receive the decoration. In 1917 the Army changed its eligibility criteria for the honor and revoked the awards of 911 noncombatants, including Walker. Nevertheless, she continued to wear her medal until her death two years later. An Army board restored Walker s Medal of Honor in 1977, praising her distinguished gallantry, self-sacrifice, patriotism, dedication and
unflinching loyalty to her country, despite the apparent discrimination because of her sex. Theodore Roosevelt, the only U.S. president to have received the Medal of Honor. 3. Theodore Roosevelt is the only U.S. president to have received the Medal of Honor, which he was awarded posthumously. 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 president was nominated for the Medal of Honor, but the Army passed him over, citing a lack of evidence for his heroic actions at San Juan Hill. President Bill Clinton posthumously awarded him the decoration in 2001. Roosevelt s son, Theodore Jr., who served in both World Wars, also received the Medal of Honor. 4. The youngest Medal of Honor recipient earned his award at 11 and was granted it at 13. 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 equipment to hasten their pace. Young Willie, however, clung to his drum throughout the march and was later asked to play for his entire division on July 4. When Abraham Lincoln heard about the drummer s bravery, he recommended him for the Medal of Honor, and Willie received the award in September 1863. In the 20th century, the youngest recipient was Jack Lucas, a marine who at just 17 shielded fellow squad members from grenades at Iwo Jima. General Winfield Scott, who opposed the idea of a Medal of Honor. 5. The award is not called the Congressional Medal of Honor. 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 of Honor, maintains their records and organizes reunion events, among other responsibilities. 6. It s illegal to wear someone else s Medal of Honor, but it s not illegal to pretend you have one.
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. (Pretenders to other military decorations faced imprisonment for up to six months.) The Supreme Court struck down the act on June 28, 2012, ruling that it violated the right to free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment.