Medal of Honor



Medal of Honor



Navy MOH
The Navy's Medal of Honor (MOH) was the first approved and the first designed of the US military MOHs. On December 9, 1861, Iowa Senator James W. Grimes introduced S. No. 82 in the United States Senate, a bill designed to "promote the efficiency of the Navy" by authorizing the production and distribution of "medals of honor". On December 21st the bill was passed, authorizing 200 such medals be produced "which shall be bestowed upon such petty officers, seamen, landsmen and marines as shall distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action and other seamanlike qualities during the present war (Civil War)." President Lincoln signed the bill and the (Navy) Medal of Honor was born.

The initial work was done by the Philadelphia Mint at the request of Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles. The Mint submitted several designs for consideration, and the one prepared by the Philadelphia firm of William Wilson & Sons was the design selected.

Navy MOH
Original 1861 Navy MOH The first Navy Medal of Honor design consists of an inverted, 5-pointed star. On each of the five points is a cluster of laurel leaves to represent victory, mixed with a cluster of oak leaves to represent strength. Surrounding the encircled insignia are 34 stars, equal to the number of stars in the US flag at the time in 1862, one star for each state of the Union including the 11 Confederate states.


Inside the circle of 34 stars are engraved two images. To the right is the image of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and war. On her helmet is perched an owl, representing wisdom. In keeping with the Roman tradition, her left hand holds a bundle of rods and an ax blade, symbolic of authority. The shield in her right hand is the shield of the Union of our states (similar to the shield on our seal and other important emblems.)

Minerva and Discord
Recoiling from Minerva is a man clutching snakes in his hands. He represents discord, and the insignia came to be known as "Minerva Repulsing Discord". Taken in the context of the Civil War, soldiers and sailors struggling to overcome the discord of the states and preserve the Union, the design was as fitting as it was symbolic.

Navy MOH
Original 1861 Navy MOH The ribbon that held the medal was originally a blue bar on top and 13 red and white stripes running vertically. The 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies. The color white represents purity and innocence; red represents hardiness, valor and blood; blue signifies vigilance, perseverance, and justice. The stripes also represent the rays of the sun.


Army MOH
Two months after approval of the Navy MOH, on February 17, 1862, Massachusetts Senator Henry Wilson introduced a similar bill, this one to authorize "the President to distribute medals to privates in the Army of the United States who shall distinguish themselves in battle." Over the following months wording changed slightly as the bill made its way through Congress. When President Abraham Lincoln signed S.J.R. No 82 into law as 12 Stat. 623-624 on July 14, 1862, the Army Medal of Honor was born. Two thousand medals of honor were authorized.

Army MOH
Original 1862 Army MOH The design of the Original 1862 Army MOH included an eagle, symbolizing the United States of America, perched on a cannon and with a saber grasped in its talons.


Gillespie MOH
1904 Gillespie MOH In 1904 the Gillespie version of the Army MOH included a simple portrait of a helmeted Goddess of War to replace the "Minerva repelling discord" scene. The red, white, and blue ribbon was replaced with a light blue ribbon and 13 white stars. The 13 is once again the original 13 colonies.


Tiffany Cross MOH
1919 Tiffany Cross MOH In 1919 the Tiffany Cross version of the MOH had a Maltese Cross instead of an inverted star. The Maltese Cross' eight points symbolize the 8 virtues of a knight. A cross itself also represents the four cardinal directions and the sun. This design was discontinued in 1942 due to its unpopularity.


Air Force MOH
Original 1965 Air Force MOH In 1965 the Air Force MOH was created and it replaced the Minerva portrait with the head of the Statue of Liberty. Lady liberty has a pointed crown instead of a helmet. And she does stand for liberty although she is derived from the imagery of Semiramis, wife of Nimrod, and Queen of Babylon. Semiramis, a mythical figure, was famed for her beauty, strength, and wisdom and was said to have built the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon. She purportedly reigned for 42 years after taking control from Nimrod.


Of the 3,460 Medals of Honor awarded since the inception of the award, 19 individual servicemen have received two awards of the Medal. It is these 19 double awardees that often create the greatest amount of confusion when one is examining Medal of Honor statistics. To better understand the numbers it is necessary to break these 19 heroes into three groups.

During World War I a total of 8 Marines received Medals of Honor. Two were Marine aviators of the 1st Marine Aviation Force. The remaining six were members of the 5th and 6th Regiments of the 2nd Division, working closely with their Army counterparts. Five of the six received BOTH the Army and Navy Medals of Honor for the same deed, with a separate citation from each branch of service. The sixth Marine, Fred William Stockham, received ONLY the Army Medal of Honor for the action that cost him his life.

In 1917 the laws governing award of the Medal of Honor were changed to end all double awards of the Medal of Honor. All other awards in the Pyramid of Honor can be awarded multiple times for different acts, each successive award noted by a device worn on the ribbon for the first award, but the Medal of Honor may now be awarded only once.

A soldier may be nominated repeatedly for the Medal of Honor. During the Vietnam War Special Forces hero Robert L. Howard was submitted for the Medal of Honor three different times before he was finally awarded the Medal.

The Medal of Honor is America's highest award for military heroism. Teddy Roosevelt lobbied for one but never received it, and General George Patton said "I'd sell my immortal soul for that medal." Since World War II, of the 838 men who earned it, 513 died for it.

During presentations of the Medal of Honor during World War II President Harry Truman was known to often state, "I would rather have the blue band of the Medal of Honor around my neck than to be President."

Navy corpsman Don Ballard, who received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Vietnam has said, "It's harder to wear the medal than to earn it." Imagine taking a young soldier who, in a moment of utmost terror and devastation demonstrated an act of immense valor and intrepidity, then sending him from that war zone to our Nation's Capitol where he is saluted by generals and praised by the President. His life is suddenly and irrevocably changed, his future no longer his own, his lot in life the shared preservation of a unique heritage shared with men like Sergeant York, Jimmy Doolittle, General Douglas MacArthur, Audie Murphy, and Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. Though none of the men who humbly wear the small 5-pointed star that hangs from the Medal's blue ribbon would ever admit it publically, over the course of a lifetime it can come to "weigh a ton".

The men who have received the Medal of Honor uniquely represent a cross-section of our Nation as a whole. They include a 14 year old Civil War drummer boy, a former slave, the sons of two United States Presidents, a former pro football player, and even troubled teens who had been told "join the military or go to jail". They hailed from mid-west farm families, urban barrios, blue-collar steel cities, and New York "high society". They come from all races, some born in the United States and others born on foreign soil.

World War II hero Silvestre Herrera was surprised to learn on the day he received his draft notice, that he wasn't even an American citizen. The man he had thought for 24 years was his father finally told him the truth, "You were brought across the border from Mexico after your parents died when you were an infant, and I've raised you as my own son ever since." Determined to serve his adopted Country, Silvestre studied to become a U.S. citizen while fighting in Europe in action that would not only bring him the Medal of Honor, but Mexico's highest award for valor.

Some of these heroes went on to become household names, movie stars, or successful businessmen. Others settled into quiet, simple lifestyles in their home-towns. Still others have died in poverty and obscurity, forgotten by the Nation they gave so much to preserve.

Seldom, if ever, has a recipient used his medal for personal gain for profit. Rather, the Medal becomes for them a symbol of the valor and sacrifice of their fellow soldiers who did not receive the Medal, but never-the-less served and often died, to preserve freedom.

Canadian born Vietnam hero Pete Lemon recently told a group of 7th grade students, "Whenever you see the Medal, you see millions of people out there who have given their service and sacrificed for your freedom."

When the President places that blue band around a young soldier's neck, he also confers on him the responsibility to uphold the standards and dignity of all who have received it. He becomes a living symbol of all 40 million Americans who have served the cause of freedom in uniform. Though that hero's celebrity-status quickly vanishes, the personal responsibility of the Medal recipient becomes a life-time commitment. For the rest of his life he receives letters requesting photos and autographs, is asked to speak in schools and before veterans' groups, and much more, usually without honorarium and often at his own expense.

Recently, 77 year old World War II hero Desmond Doss, with only 48 hours advance notice, traveled 1500 miles from his home in Georgia to speak in 3 elementary schools when the previously scheduled Medal of Honor speaker fell ill and couldn't attend.

But that's not unusual for the man President Truman told upon presentation of the Medal, "I consider this a greater honor than being President." Desmond never turns down an opportunity to speak to American youth about patriotism, service and responsibility.

In 1965 the United States Congress revised previous legislation regarding Medal of Honor recipients to provide each with a monthly $100 pension (it is now $400). Desmond Doss used much of his small pension, as well as other personal income, to help establish and fund the Civilian Defense Rescue Service in Walker County, Georgia. In April, 1966 this newly organized group worked around the clock in a dark, wet, gas-filled cavern to save seven boy scouts and their leader who had become lost. Desmond himself spent more consecutive hours in that cave, working harder, than anyone else.

The Medal of Honor is a National Treasure, a monument not unlike the Iwo Jima memorial and others in Washington, D.C. and throughout our Nation that stand in testimony to the courage and fortitude of the American spirit.

National Medal of Honor Day
The United States Congress has designated March 25th of each year as National Medal of Honor Day, a day dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients, authorized through Public Law 101-564. The date of March 25th was chosen to highlight this special day because it was on March 25, 1863 that the first Medals of Honor were presented to six members of Andrews' Raiders. Conceived in the State of Washington, this holiday should be one of our most revered. Unfortunately all too many Americans are not even aware of its existence.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?
National Medal of Honor day is celebrated in some communities, however for the most part the occasion comes and goes with little notice. As a patriotic American there are a few things YOU can do to commemorate this day:
  • FLY YOUR FLAG with pride and patriotism on this day.
  • REMEMBER OUR HEROES. As a gesture of your appreciation, why not take just a few moments in the week prior to National Medal of Honor Day to mail a "Thank You" card to one of our living Medal of Honor recipients. You can find a list of the living as well as information on writing to them among the pages of this site.
  • INFORM YOUR LOCAL MEDIA. Most newspapers aren't even aware that this special day exists. Why not tip your local media to the occasion. Before you do, check out our database for Medal of Honor recipients from your city and state as well as any who might be buried in your city. This information can give your media a "local angle" that can increase the probability that they will consider doing a story to remind Americans of our heroes.
  • Consider doing something in your local schools, or even on a civic level, if there is a Medal of Honor recipient living near your location. Visit our site on SCHOOL IDEAS for more information on school assemblies.
  • If there is a Medal of Honor recipient buried in your home town, get a school class, scout troop, or other youth organization to "adopt a grave site". You can read in our SCHOOL IDEAS pages how one school in Pueblo, Colorado has used just such a program as a part of their Social Studies program.