The Medal of Honor

Podcast Transcript

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States.

It is presented to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have displayed extraordinary bravery and valor in combat, often at great personal risk and beyond the call of duty.

The Medal of Honor has a rich history dating back to the American Civil War and has undergone various changes in its design, criteria, and awarding process.

Learn more about the Medal of Honor, how it was created and how it is awarded on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

The Medal of Honor is the highest award that the United States Military can bestow.

Its equivalent in other countries would be the Victoria Cross in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The Legion of Honor in France, the Cross of Honor in Germany, the Order of August First in China, and the Param Vir Chakra in India.

The medal recognizes those members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have displayed extraordinary bravery and valor in combat, often at great personal risk and beyond the call of duty.

At the start of the Revolutionary War, the United States Army had no medals or awards for soldiers.

On August 7, 1782, General George Washington issued a decree to create a medal known as the Badge of Military Merit. Washington said the award was to be given “not only instances of unusual gallantry in battle, but also extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way.”

The actual award was a cloth embroidered heart that was colored purple. The award was later renamed the Purple Heart 1932 and became an award for those injured in battle.

What was unique about the Badge of Military Merit is that it could be awarded to enlisted soldiers. Military medals in Europe were traditionally only given to officers. According to Washington, “the road to glory in a patriot army and a free country is…open to all.”

Only three people were awarded the Badge of Military Merit during the Revolution, so it was something that was awarded very rarely.

For about the next 50 years, there were no military medals.

In 1847, Congress approved a new award called the Certificate of Merit. The Certificate of Merit was only approved for privates and later for all enlisted personnel and non-commissioned officers.

The Certificate of Merit was considered to be on par with the Medal of Honor until 1918 when the award was replaced with the Distinguished Service Medal, which was explicitly made of lower rank than the Medal of Honor.

The idea for the Medal of Honor emerged in 1861 amid the Civil War’s early challenges. Lieutenant Colonel Edward Townsend submitted a proposal to General Winfield Scott, the head of the Union Army, to create an award for valor.

Scott was against the idea of medals for valor because it seemed too European, and he felt it didn’t fit with a republic.

When he retired later that year, the idea was picked up by the Secretary of the Navy, and the idea soon spread.

Iowa Senator James W. Grimes proposed a bill to “promote the efficiency of the Navy” by authorizing 200 “medals of honor” for enlisted sailors and Marines who distinguished themselves by “gallantry in action and other seamanlike qualities.”

On December 21, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln signed this legislation into law, establishing the Navy Medal of Honor. The Philadelphia Mint was tasked with designing the award, producing a five-pointed star with Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, at its center, symbolizing the United States.

Encouraged by this initiative, Massachusetts Senator Henry Wilson introduced a similar bill for the Army on February 15, 1862. This resolution authorized medals for noncommissioned officers and privates who exhibited “gallantry in action and other soldier-like qualities” during the war.

Lincoln signed it into law on July 12, 1862, creating the Army Medal of Honor. Unlike the Navy’s version, the Army medal initially bore the inscription “The Congress to,” emphasizing its congressional endorsement. Both medals were made of copper coated with bronze, giving them a reddish tint, and were intended as temporary wartime honors.

This has caused confusion over the years as to the name of the medal. It is often called the Congressional Medal of Honor, but its name is simply the Medal of Honor.

On March 25, 1863, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton presented the medal to six surviving members of Andrews’ Raiders, a group of Union soldiers who conducted a daring raid behind Confederate lines to disrupt a railroad. Private Jacob Parrott became the first recipient to receive the award.

The initial legislation creating the Medal of Honor limited it only to the Civil War.

While Private Parrott was the first person to be awarded the Medal of Honor, there were other recipients who were honored for acts of valor that took place prior to that of Private Parrot.

The earliest action for which the Medal of Honor was awarded was Assistant Surgeon Bernard J.D. Irwin’s rescue of 60 soldiers at Apache Pass, Arizona, in February 1861. However, due to delays in the award process, Irwin received his medal in 1894.

During the Civil War, the Medal of Honor was literally the only military medal awarded as the Certificate of Merit had ceased being awarded after the Mexican-American War and wouldn’t be revived until 1874.

Initially, nominations were informal, and self-recommendations were permitted, leading to awards for actions that might not meet later standards—such as 11-year-old drummer boy Willie Johnston retaining his drum during a retreat in 1862.

Every member of the 27th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor simply because they offered to stay in Washington, DC, for a few days after their enlistment expired.

Due to poor record-keeping and administrative confusion, the War Department could not determine exactly which soldiers stayed and which had left. To avoid the difficulty of sorting through individual names, the entire regiment—864 men—was placed on the Medal of Honor roll, regardless of whether they had remained in Washington or not.

Over 1,500 Medals of Honor were awarded for Civil War actions.

In the 19th century, the Medal of Honor continued to be awarded in conflicts against Native American tribes and later during the Spanish-American War.

The most Medals of Honor awarded in a single day occurred during the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890, where 20 soldiers received the honor. A total of 426 Medals were awarded during the Indian Wars.

The low standards for awarding the medal during the Civil War were widely recognized.

In 1897, new regulations required eyewitness accounts, third-party recommendations, and submission within one year of the act. This shift aimed to ensure the medal recognized only the most exceptional valor.

In 1917, an Army review board revoked 911 medals—mostly from Civil War recipients, including the entire 27th Maine regiment awarded for reenlisting—deeming them unjustified under stricter guidelines. Five were later restored, including Dr. Mary E. Walker’s, the only woman recipient, who received it in 1865 for medical service under fire but had it rescinded in 1917 before reinstatement in 1977.

World War I introduced further refinements. Naval officers became eligible in 1915, and in 1918, a version dubbed the “Tiffany Cross” was briefly adopted for Navy recipients for combat valor to distinguish between non-combat awards like that given to Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 transatlantic flight.

Lieutenant Frank Luke was the first pilot awarded the Medal of Honor during World War I, known for shooting down 18 enemy aircraft in just 17 days.

Unpopular and short-lived, the Tiffany Cross was discontinued in 1942. The war also saw double recipients who were awarded the Army and Navy Medals of Honor for the same act of valor. You can, in theory, earn multiple Medals of Honor today, but they have to be for separate acts of heroism.

There are currently 19 double Medal of Honor recipients who earned them for separate acts. None have been awarded since the First World War.

World War II marked a high point, with 473 medals awarded, including the first to a Hispanic American, Private Joseph Martinez, in 1943 and a posthumous award to Japanese American Private First Class Sadao Munemori in 1945.

Signalman First Class Douglas Munro is the only Coast Guard member to receive the Medal of Honor, awarded posthumously for heroism at Guadalcanal in 1942.

The Air Force, which was established in 1947, adopted the Army design until 1965, when it introduced its own variant featuring a central figure of Liberty.

The Korean and Vietnam Wars saw fewer awards—145 and 261, respectively—reflecting tightened criteria, with many bestowed posthumously.

Whereas in the 19th century, too many medals were probably awarded, a 1993 Army study found that soldiers who conducted clear qualifying acts of valor were denied the medal because they were black, especially during the Second World War.

This led to a review of Medal of Honor nominations, which resulted in rounds of awards in 1997, 1998, and 2014.

Only 20 Medals of Honor have been awarded since the Vietnam War, all but three posthumously, reflecting rigorous standards and fewer large-scale conflicts.

Notable recent recipients include Master Sergeant Earl Plumlee, one of the few living recipients honored for actions in Afghanistan in 2013.

As of the recording of this episode, 3,536 Medals of Honor have been awarded to 3,517 individuals, with over 40% from the Civil War. Only 61 recipients are living today, four of which are active duty military.

Today, three distinct variants exist: the Army’s with Minerva and a laurel wreath, the Navy’s with an anchor and Minerva, and the Air Force’s with Liberty and an eagle.

All feature a gold star on a light blue ribbon with 13 stars. The modern design, finalized during World War II, balances historical tradition with symbolic depth—laurel for victory, Minerva for wisdom, and the eagle for strength.

The current process for awarding the Medal of Honor begins with an eyewitness account and must be formally submitted by the recipient’s chain of command.

Extensive investigations and reviews follow at multiple levels, including endorsements from commanding officers, the service branch’s Secretary, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The recommendation is then forwarded to the Secretary of Defense, who reviews it before sending it to the President of the United States, who is the final approving authority. Once approved, the Medal of Honor is presented by the President, often in a White House ceremony.

While Congress may be consulted and sets the rules regarding the honor, they do not have the final say in approval.

Unlike other medals that the US Military awards, other benefits and privileges are given to Medal of Honor recipients. This list of benefits is actually quite extensive.

Medal of Honor recipients receive a special monthly pension, currently over $1,500 per month, adjusted annually for inflation, and the pension is tax-free.

This is in addition to any other military retirement pay or disability benefits.

Medal of Honor recipients receive special license plates in most states, usually free of charge.

Even if the recipient was not career military, they receive lifetime military ID cards.

This grants access to military bases, commissaries, and military hospitals.

Medal of Honor recipients are eligible for full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Medal of Honor recipients must also be given a place of honor at official military and government ceremonies.

MoH recipients may be authorized to fly on military aircraft, a privilege usually reserved for active-duty personnel, and recipients and their dependents are eligible for free Space-Available military flights.

They receive a lifetime free pass for all National Parks and Military Museums.

Children of Medal of Honor recipients are automatically eligible for admission to U.S. Military Academies, assuming they meet entrance requirements.

Medal of Honor recipients also receive the highest-level hiring preference for civil service jobs.

All military personnel, regardless of rank, must salute MoH recipients, including generals.

Recipients automatically receive invitations to all future U.S. presidential inaugurations, and recipients are often invited to attend the President’s State of the Union Address.

MoH recipients also can wear their military uniform for life, even after leaving the service.

Finally, any non-U.S. citizen who earns the Medal of Honor is granted automatic U.S. citizenship.

For anyone out there who might want to falsely claim to be a Medal of Honor recipient, I would suggest you not do that.

Beyond the obvious ethical reasons, impersonating a MoH recipient is a federal crime under the Stolen Valor Act.

The Medal of Honor is more than just a decoration—it represents the highest ideals of military service, courage, and sacrifice. From its origins in the Civil War to the modern battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the medal has evolved while maintaining its purpose: recognizing those who go above and beyond the call of duty.

The Executive Producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The Associate Producers are Austin Oetken and Cameron Kieffer.

Today’s three-star review comes from listener Cammi Anderson over on Apple Podcasts in the United States They write.

Less math!

I’m sorry, but I used to love this show, but now a ton of the episodes are just to hard to understand. Though keep in mind I’m in middle school I feel like this makes the episodes less interesting.

Thanks, Cammi! It’s OK if you don’t understand something right away. No one can really understand a subject immediately after hearing it for the first time.

I really don’t have a lot of math episodes, and to be fair, most of the math episodes are things you wouldn’t encounter in Middle School. These episodes are just introductions to the topic and are not very in-depth. If, at some point, you encounter these topics again, then you will already have a head start.

Remember, if you leave a review or send me a boostagram, you too can have it read the show.