Medal of Honor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Medal of Honor
Medals of Honor of three of the six military departments
Presented by	The president of the United States in the name of the United States Congress

The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the highest military award given by the United States Armed Forces. It is given to American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians, and coast guardsmen. They receive it for showing amazing bravery and courage, risking their lives far beyond what is expected.

The President of the United States usually presents the medal. The President is the leader of the armed forces. The award is given "in the name of the United States Congress," which is why some people call it the Congressional Medal of Honor.

There are three different versions of the medal. One is for the Army, one for the Naval Service (Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard), and one for the Air and Space Forces. The Naval Service first introduced the Medal of Honor in 1861. The Army's version followed in 1862. The Air Force got its own unique version in 1965.

The Medal of Honor is the oldest military award given out continuously by the U.S. Armed Forces. The President usually gives the medal in a special ceremony. This ceremony shows how grateful the American people are. If someone receives the medal after they have died, it is given to their closest family member.

As of September 2023, 3,536 Medals of Honor have been awarded. More than 40% of these were for actions during the American Civil War. In 1990, Congress decided that March 25 would be known as Medal of Honor Day each year.

History of the Medal

Medal of Honor (without the suspension ribbon) awarded to Seaman John Ortega in 1864.

Medal of Honor awarded posthumously in 1866 to John Morehead Scott, one of the Andrews Raiders

The idea for a military award for bravery came up in 1861, at the start of the American Civil War. A military leader named Lieutenant Colonel Edward D. Townsend suggested it. However, the top general at the time, Winfield Scott, did not like the idea. He thought giving medals was a European tradition, not an American one.

After General Scott retired, the Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles, liked the idea. He wanted to create an award to honor brave naval service. On December 21, 1861, a bill was passed and signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. This law allowed for 200 "medals of honor" for sailors and marines who showed great bravery.

A few months later, in February 1862, a similar idea for an Army Medal of Honor was introduced. This resolution was approved and signed into law on July 12, 1862. It allowed medals for non-commissioned officers and privates who showed great courage.

The first Medals of Honor were made of copper and coated with bronze. On March 25, 1863, the Secretary of War gave the first Medals of Honor to six U.S. Army volunteers.

Over the years, the medal's design changed a few times. In 1904, the Army's medal was redesigned to make it stand out more from other medals. In 1917, a review board looked at all the Army Medals of Honor that had been given out. They found that 911 medals had been awarded for reasons that didn't meet the strict rules. These were removed from the official list. Some of these, like the medals for William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody and Mary Edwards Walker, were later given back.

In 1963, a separate Coast Guard Medal of Honor was approved, but it was never designed or awarded. The Air Force got its own unique medal design in 1965. Before that, Air Force members received the Army's version of the medal.

What the Medal Looks Like

There are three different versions of the Medal of Honor. One is for the Army, one for the Navy (which includes the Marine Corps and Coast Guard), and one for the Air and Space Forces. Each medal is made differently, using metals like gold, bronze, and enamel.

Army Medal of Honor

Naval Medal of Honor

Air and Space Forces Medal of Honor

Army Medal

The Army's medal is a gold five-pointed star. Each point has a small clover-like shape. It is surrounded by a green wreath and hangs from a gold bar that says VALOR. An eagle sits on top of the bar. In the middle of the star is the head of Minerva, a Roman goddess, surrounded by the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. On the back, it says THE CONGRESS TO with a space for the recipient's name.

Naval Medal

The Naval medal is a five-pointed bronze star. It has a wreath of laurel and oak leaves. In the center is Minerva, representing the United States. She holds a shield and pushes away snakes, which stand for conflict. The medal hangs from an anchor.

Air and Space Forces Medal

The Air and Space Forces medal is a gold five-pointed star within a green laurel wreath. Each point has a crown of laurel and oak. In the center of the star are 34 smaller stars around a picture of the head of the Statue of Liberty. The star hangs from a bar that says VALOR above a symbol like Jupiter's thunderbolt, which is part of the Air Force's official seal.

Older Versions

The Medal of Honor has changed its look over time. The Navy's star design from 1862 has stayed mostly the same. The Army's 1862 version was similar but had an eagle on cannons instead of an anchor. In 1904, the Army's medal got a new, smaller star and the light blue ribbon with white stars we see today.

For a while, the Navy used a different cross-shaped medal called the "Tiffany Cross" for combat bravery. But this was not very popular, and by 1942, the Navy went back to using only the original star design. Since 1944, all Medals of Honor have been worn around the neck on a light blue ribbon.

Neck Ribbon, Service Ribbon, and Lapel Button

Service ribbon

Lapel button

Since 1944, the Medal of Honor has been attached to a light blue silk neck ribbon. This ribbon is about 1.2 inches wide and 21.75 inches long. The middle of the ribbon has thirteen white stars arranged in three V-shapes.

There is also a smaller service ribbon that is light blue with five white stars. This is worn on military uniforms for everyday situations, not formal events. For civilian clothes, recipients can wear a small, six-sided light blue bowknot rosette with thirteen white stars on their left lapel.

The Medal of Honor is one of only two U.S. military awards worn around the neck. The other is the Commander's Degree of the Legion of Merit, usually given to people in foreign governments.

Medal of Honor Flag

Medal of Honor Flag

In 2002, a law was passed to create a special Medal of Honor Flag. This flag is given to every person who receives the Medal of Honor. If the medal is given after someone has died, the flag goes to their closest family member.

The flag is light blue with 13 white five-pointed stars. These stars are arranged in a V-shape, just like on the medal's neck ribbon. The first Medal of Honor Flag was given to the family of U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith in 2005, after he died in action.

How Medals are Given

There are two main ways someone can be recommended for the Medal of Honor. The most common way is through their military chain of command. The recommendation must be made within three years and approved within five years.

Sometimes, a member of the U.S. Congress might ask for a review of a brave act. If the recommendation is made after the usual time limits, Congress must pass a special law to allow it. The President then presents the Medal of Honor on behalf of Congress. Since 1980, most recipients, or their families, have received the medal directly from the President.

Rules for the Medal

Over time, the rules for getting the Medal of Honor have changed. In the 1800s, the Navy could give medals for bravery outside of combat, like saving someone from drowning. The Army's early medals were sometimes given for less extreme acts, partly because it was the only military award at the time.

In the early 1900s, the Navy still gave many medals for peacetime bravery. For example, some sailors received medals for saving others from a ship boiler explosion. However, during World War I, the Army made its rules much stricter. The act of bravery had to be "above and beyond the call of duty" and happen "in action involving actual conflict with an enemy."

In 1963, the rules for the Medal of Honor became the same for all military branches. Now, a recipient must have shown "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty." This act of bravery must happen in one of three situations:

• Fighting against an enemy of the United States.
• During military operations with an opposing foreign force.
• Serving with friendly foreign forces in a conflict where the U.S. is not officially fighting.

Taking Medals Back

In the past, some Medals of Honor were taken back if the recipient did something dishonorable. In 1917, a board reviewed all Army Medals of Honor. They found 911 medals that had been given for reasons other than extreme bravery in combat. These included medals given to a group of soldiers who extended their service during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln's funeral guards, and some civilians. These medals were removed from the official list. However, the Army did not ask for the medals to be returned. Some, like those for Mary Edwards Walker and Buffalo Bill Cody, were later given back.

Today, medals can be taken back if it's found that the person's actions were not compatible with military service or if they committed serious crimes.

Special Rights and Honors

Medal of Honor monument and Medal of Honor headstones of the Civil War recipients of "Andrews Raid" at the Chattanooga National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Medal of Honor gravemarker of Jimmie W. Monteith at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

Medal of Honor headstone of James H. Robinson at the Memphis National Cemetery

Receiving the Medal of Honor comes with special honors and benefits:

• Recipients get a special monthly pension, which is extra money beyond any other military benefits. As of 2022, this was over $1,600 a month.
• They get special identification cards and can use military stores and facilities.
• They can be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
• Their children can be automatically nominated to any of the U.S. military academies, if they meet other requirements.
• They receive a 10% increase in their retired military pay.
• Those awarded the medal after 2002 also receive a special Medal of Honor Flag.
• They are invited to all future presidential inaugurations and balls.
• Recipients can wear their military uniform whenever they want, with some limits. Other former military members can only wear their uniform on special occasions.
• Many states offer special license plates for Medal of Honor recipients.

Saluting

Admiral Eric T. Olson salutes Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry at a ceremony at The Pentagon (July 2011)

Even though it's not a strict rule for all military branches, members of the armed forces are encouraged to salute Medal of Honor recipients. This is a sign of great respect, no matter what rank the recipient holds. It's one of the few times a higher-ranking military member will salute someone of a lower rank.

Legal Protection

It is against the law to pretend you have been awarded the Medal of Honor or to wear, make, or sell fake military medals. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that simply saying you had a medal, without trying to gain something from it, was protected by free speech. However, in 2013, a new law was passed. This law makes it a federal crime to falsely claim to have received a Medal of Honor or other valor medal if you are trying to get money, property, or other benefits from that false claim.

Who Has Received the Medal?

• The first Medals of Honor were given to six U.S. Army soldiers on March 25, 1863. These soldiers were part of the "Andrews Raiders" during the Civil War. Private Jacob Parrott was the first person to actually receive the medal.
• Bernard John Dowling Irwin was the first person to earn the Medal of Honor for an action that happened earliest in time (February 13, 1861).
• The first U.S. Navy sailors received their Medals of Honor on April 3, 1863.
• The first marines to get the medal were John F. Mackie and Pinkerton R. Vaughn on July 10, 1863.
• The only Coast Guardsman to receive the Medal of Honor was Signalman First Class Douglas Albert Munro. He was given it after he died in 1943 for bravely evacuating marines during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942.
• The only woman to receive the Medal of Honor is Mary Edwards Walker. She was a civilian Army assistant surgeon during the Civil War. Her medal was taken away in 1917 but later given back in 1977.
• The first black recipients of the Medal of Honor were soldiers and sailors who fought in the Civil War. William Harvey Carney earned his medal during the Battle of Fort Wagner but did not receive it until 1900.
• The only Medal of Honor to be kept "top secret" was given to Hiroshi "Hershey" Miyamura during the Korean War. It was kept secret to protect him while he was a prisoner of war.

Double Recipients

Nineteen service members have been awarded the Medal of Honor twice. The first person to receive two Medals of Honor was Thomas Custer (brother of George Armstrong Custer). He received them for two separate actions during the American Civil War.

Five people received both the Army's and Navy's Medal of Honor for the *same* action during World War I. This happened because Marines were serving under Army command at the time. Today, a person can only receive one Medal of Honor, even if they perform multiple acts of extreme bravery. For any additional acts, they would receive a special device to wear on their medal's ribbon instead of a second medal.

The last living person to receive two Medals of Honor was John J. Kelly in 1918. The last person to receive two Medals of Honor for two *different* actions was Smedley Butler, in 1914 and 1915.

Related Recipients

Arthur MacArthur, Jr. and Douglas MacArthur were the first father and son to both receive the Medal of Honor. The only other father-son pair is Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt, Jr..

Five pairs of brothers have received the Medal of Honor:

• John and William Black (Civil War)
• Charles and Henry Capehart (Civil War)
• Antoine and Julien Gaujot (different conflicts)
• Harry and Willard Miller (Spanish–American War)
• Allen and James Thompson (Civil War)

Also, Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher and his nephew, Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, both received the medal for actions during the United States occupation of Veracruz.

Late Awards

Since 1979, 86 Medals of Honor have been awarded for actions that happened many years earlier. Some medals that were taken away in 1917 were also given back.

In 1993, a study looked into whether some groups of soldiers had been unfairly overlooked for medals. As a result, in 1997, President Bill Clinton presented the Medal of Honor to seven African American World War II veterans, most of them after they had died.

A similar study for Asian Americans led to President Clinton presenting 22 Medals of Honor in 2000. One of these recipients was Senator Daniel Inouye, who fought in World War II. In 2005, President George W. Bush presented the medal to Tibor Rubin, a Jewish American who was a Holocaust survivor and Korean War veteran. Many believed he had been overlooked because of his religion.

On March 18, 2014, President Obama upgraded awards for 24 Hispanic, Jewish, and black individuals to the Medal of Honor. This was to correct past unfairness.

Images for kids

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  1862–95 Army version

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  1896–1903 Army version

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  1904–44 Army version

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  Post 1944 Army version

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  1862–1912 Navy version

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  1913–42 Navy version

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  1919–42 Navy "Tiffany Cross" version

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  Post 1942 Navy version

See also

In Spanish: Medalla de Honor para niños

• Medal of Honor Day
• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• Medal of Honor Memorial (Indianapolis)
• African-American Medal of Honor Recipients Memorial
• Kentucky Medal of Honor Memorial
• Texas Medal of Honor Memorial
• Distinguished Intelligence Cross
• Home of the Heroes, a recognition of Pueblo, Colorado, for being the hometown of four Medal of Honor recipients
• Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal
• Military awards and decorations