Medal of Honor (1) (a) 3. [40], There are three versions of the Medal of Honor, one for each of the military departments of the Department of Defense (DoD): the Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, and Department of the Air Force. Arthur MacArthur, Jr. and Douglas MacArthur are the first father and son to be awarded the Medal of Honor. [43] The finish on the pendant and suspension bar is hard enameled, gold plated, and rose gold plated, with polished highlights. In accordance with Air Force policy whereby Medal of Honor recipients are automatically promoted one grade on the first day of the month following the award, Sergeant Chapman will be posthumously promoted to the rank of master sergeant on Sept. 1, 2018. shall be issued to any one person," although subsequent awards were authorized by issuance of bars or other devices in lieu of the medal itself. [162], On November 6, 2014, President Obama presented the Medal of Honor posthumously to First Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing for actions on July 3, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg. 31–32, 8. 1923: Congress passed a statute (the year before the 20-year term of the patent would expire)—which would later be codified at 18 U.S.C. [92][93] The amendment was necessary because Cold War armed conflicts did not qualify for consideration under previous statutes such as the 1918 Army Medal of Honor Statute that required valor "in action involving actual conflict with an enemy",[94] since the United States has not formally declared war since World War II as a result of the provisions of the United Nations Charter. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Medal of Honor: History of Heroes, a 2012 revival of the 2000 series; Medal of Honor (documentary), a 2018 television documentary miniseries on Netflix about eight American soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor; Films. The Medal of Honor is presented by the President on behalf of, and in the name of, the Congress. 52, 12 Stat. In both cases, if the proposal is outside the time limits for the recommendation, approval to waive the time limit requires a special Act of Congress. [42], In 2011, Department of Defense instructions in regard to the Medal of Honor were amended to read "for each succeeding act that would otherwise justify award of the Medal of Honor, the individual receiving the subsequent award is authorized to wear an additional Medal of Honor ribbon and/or a 'V' device on the Medal of Honor suspension ribbon" (the "V" device is a 1⁄4-inch-high (6.4 mm) bronze miniature letter "V" with serifs that denotes valor). The medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. Each medal is constructed differently and the components are made from gilding metals and red brass alloys with some gold plating, enamel, and bronze pieces. [44], The Department of the Air Force version is described as "within a wreath of green laurel, a gold five-pointed star, one point down, tipped with trefoils and each point containing a crown of laurel and oak on a green background. Each Medal of Honor recipient may have his or her name entered on the Medal of Honor Roll (, Each person whose name is placed on the Medal of Honor Roll is certified to the. 103-322, The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, § 320109, Pub.L. [65], On October 23, 2002, Pub.L. [8][9][2][10], There are three distinct variants of the medal: one for the Department of the Army, awarded to soldiers, one for the Department of the Navy, awarded to sailors and marines, as well as coast guardsmen of the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Air Force variant is awarded to airmen and Space Force guardians. In 1977, Congress began reviewing numerous cases; it reinstated the medals for Cody and four other civilian scouts on June 12, 1989. [28][29], On March 3, 1863 Congress made the Medal of Honor a permanent decoration, and was authorized for officers of the Army. 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. Miles, identified 911 awards for causes other than distinguished conduct. The board was to report on any Medals of Honor awarded or issued "for any cause other than distinguished conduct by an officer or enlisted man in action involving actual conflict with an enemy. This benefit allows the recipient to travel as he or she deems fit, and allows the recipient's dependents to travel either overseas–overseas, overseas–continental US, or continental US–overseas when accompanied by the recipient. [48] The original upside-down star was designated as the non-combat version and a new pattern of the medal pendant, in cross form, was designed by the Tiffany Company in 1919. [161], As a result of a Congressionally mandated review to ensure brave acts were not overlooked due to prejudice or discrimination, on March 18, 2014, President Obama upgraded Distinguished Service Crosses to Medals of Honor for 24 Hispanic, Jewish, and black individuals—the "Valor 24"—for their actions in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The Society’s membership is comprised of those who wear the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military award for valor. [154] At the time, no Medals of Honor had been awarded to U.S. soldiers of African descent who served in World War II. [66][67], The flag was based on a concept by retired U.S. Army Special Forces First Sergeant Bill Kendall of Jefferson, Iowa,[68] who in 2001, designed a flag to honor Medal of Honor recipient Army Air Forces Captain Darrell Lindsey, a B-26 pilot from Jefferson who was killed in action during World War II. This included the 864 medals awarded to members of the 27th Maine regiment; 29 servicemen who served as Abraham Lincoln's funeral guard; six civilians, including Mary Edwards Walker and Buffalo Bill Cody; and 12 others. The total 3,526 includes the award presented by President Trump on October 30, 2019. [39], A separate design for a version of the medal for the Department of the Air Force was created in 1956, authorized in 1960, and officially adopted on April 14, 1965. Through the Society's Outreach, Education and History initiatives, the Medal of Honor Recipients continue their service across the nation. Medal of Honor, a 2000 television series created by Julia Davis and hosted by Burt Reynolds. The first Medals of Honor were awarded and presented to six U.S. Army soldiers (", The first U.S. Navy sailors were awarded the Medal of Honor on April 3, 1863. However, the award to marine. 8, 3.1.a. Although some sources claim that President Jimmy Carter formally restored her medal posthumously in 1977,[132] this action was actually taken unilaterally by the Army's Board for Correction of Military Records. The star is suspended from a bar inscribed with the word VALOR above an adaptation of Jupiter's thunderbolt from the Department of the Air Force's seal. Recipients receive a ten percent increase in retired pay. Ron Owens. The following decorations, in one degree or another, bear similar names to the Medal of Honor, but are entirely separate awards with different criteria for issuance: United States Armed Forces highest military honor, This article is about the U.S. military award. Commanding General of the United States Army, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients, Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars, Medal of Honor recipients for the Spanish–American War, Medal of Honor recipients for the Samoan Civil War, Philippine–American War Medal of Honor recipients, Medal of Honor recipients for the Boxer Rebellion, Medal of Honor recipients for the Occupation of the Dominican Republic, Medal of Honor recipients for World War I, Medal of Honor recipients for Occupation of Nicaragua, Medal of Honor recipients for World War II, Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War, Medal of Honor recipients for the USS Liberty incident, Medal of Honor recipients for the Battle of Mogadishu, Medal of Honor recipients for the Iraq War, Medal of Honor recipients for the War in Afghanistan, Medal of Honor recipients for Operation Inherent Resolve, Medal of Honor recipients during peacetime, African-American Medal of Honor Recipients Memorial, Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal, "Description of Awards – U.S. Military Awards for Valor", United States Government Publishing Office, "DoD Manual 1348.33, Vol 1, October 19, 2020. p. 4, 1.2.b./p. [39] The last living individual to be awarded two Medals of Honor was John J. Kelly 3 Oct 1918; the last individual to receive two Medals of Honor for two different actions was Smedley Butler, in 1914 and 1915. The Army's 1862 version followed and was identical to the Department of the Navy's version except an eagle perched atop cannons was used instead of an anchor to connect the pendant to the suspension ribbon. LeClerc's gold fringed flag, ultimately accepted as the official flag, does not include the words "Medal of Honor" as written on Kendall's flag. During the war, Townsend would have some medals delivered to some recipients with a letter requesting acknowledgement of the "Medal of Honor". ", removing the authorization for the V device. [45] The connecting bar, hinge, and pin are made of bronze. Loubat, J. F. and Jacquemart, Jules, Illustrator, | U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry: Medal of Honor-Army, | U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry: Medal of Honor-Navy, | U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry: Medal of Honor-Air Force, Argentine Nation to the Heroic Valour in Combat Cross, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword, Order of the Karađorđe's Star with Swords, Inter-service awards and decorations of the United States military, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Medal_of_Honor&oldid=1003374765, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2019, Articles containing potentially dated statements from December 2018, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from December 2016, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2020, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the United States Army Center of Military History, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from March 2018, Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, United States Armed Forces service members, Department of the Navy: December 21, 1861. [76], Congress drew the three permutations of combat from President Kennedy's executive order of April 25, 1962, which previously added the same criteria to the Purple Heart. [1][7] The medal is normally awarded by the President of the United States, but as it is presented "in the name of the United States Congress", it is often referred to as the "Congressional Medal of Honor". The commanding officer only issued the medals to the volunteers who stayed behind and retained the others on the grounds that, if he returned the remainder to the War Department, the War Department would try to reissue the medals. 473"). The medal is suspended from the flukes of an anchor. The United States Congress considered a bill in 2004 which would require the Medal of Honor to be made with 90% gold, the same composition as the lesser-known Congressional Gold Medal, but the measure was dropped. In the case of a posthumous award, the flag will be presented to whomever the Medal of Honor is presented to, which in most cases will be the primary next of kin of the deceased awardee.