List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II facts for kids
This is a list of brave people who received the Medal of Honor for their amazing actions during World War II. The Medal of Honor is the highest military award given by the U.S. government to members of its armed forces. To get this medal, a person must have shown incredible courage and risked their own life far beyond what was expected, usually in a fight against an "enemy of the United States" or an "opposing foreign force." Because of how special and dangerous these actions are, the medal is often given after someone has passed away.
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global military conflict. It actually started as two separate conflicts. The first began in Asia in 1937 with the Second Sino-Japanese War. The other started in Europe in 1939 with the German and Soviet invasion of Poland. This huge global conflict divided most of the world's nations into two main groups: the Allies and the Axis powers.
The United States joined World War II on December 8, 1941. This was just one day after Japan, a member of the Axis powers, launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu. This attack killed almost 2,500 people. At the time, it was considered the biggest loss of life on American soil during peacetime that was caused by a foreign group.
For their actions during World War II, 472 U.S. military members received the Medal of Honor. Seventeen of these brave individuals were Japanese-Americans who fought in both Europe and the Pacific. Many of their awards were later upgraded from other medals during the Clinton administration. Also, Douglas Albert Munro was the only service member from the United States Coast Guard in U.S. military history to receive the Medal for his actions during the war.
The earliest actions that earned a Medal of Honor in World War II happened during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Seventeen U.S. service members were awarded the Medal for their courage that day. They earned it for being involved in "military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force," rather than an "enemy," because the United States was neutral on December 7, 1941. The last actions to earn a Medal of Honor before the war officially ended on August 15, 1945, (known as Victory over Japan Day) were by Melvin Mayfield on July 29, 1945. However, some other honorees might have received their medals after Mayfield's recognition on May 31, 1946. Additionally, seven African-American and twenty-two Asian-American soldiers who had received a lower award during the war were given the Medal of Honor in 1997 and 2000. Most of these were given after the soldiers had passed away. This happened after two studies found that racial discrimination had caused them to be overlooked at the time.
Medal of Honor Recipients: A-Z
This along with the †, indicates that the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously
| Image | Name | Service | Rank | Place of action | Date of action | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucian Adams | Army | Staff Sergeant | near St. Dié, France | October 28, 1944 | He bravely fought alone, killing 9 German soldiers and taking out 3 enemy machine guns. He cleared the woods and helped reopen supply lines for his battalion. | |
| Harold C. Agerholm † | Marine Corps | Private First Class | Saipan, Mariana Islands | July 7, 1944 | He single-handedly rescued about 45 wounded soldiers while under heavy rifle and mortar fire. | |
| Beauford T. Anderson | Army | Technical Sergeant | Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands | April 13, 1945 | He risked his life to save several fellow soldiers and fought off an enemy attack all by himself. | |
| Richard B. Anderson † | Marine Corps | Private First Class | Roi Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands | February 1, 1944 | In a shell crater, he threw his body on a grenade to save his companions, taking the full force of the explosion. | |
| Sylvester Antolak † | Army | Sergeant | near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy | May 24, 1944 | He charged 200 yards across open ground to destroy an enemy machine gun nest, helping to break through German lines. | |
| Richard N. Antrim | Navy | O-03 |
