The President, in the name of Congress, has awarded more than 3,400 Medals
of Honor to our nation's bravest Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and
Coast Guardsmen since the decoration's creation in 1861.
For years, the citations highlighting these acts of bravery and heroism
resided in dusty archives and only sporadically were printed. In 1973, the
U.S. Senate ordered the citations compiled and printed as Committee on Veterans'
Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1973 (Washington, D.C.:
Government Printing Office, 1973). This book was later updated and reprinted
in 1979.
The breakdown of these is a duplicate of that in the congressional compilation.
Likewise, some minor misspelling and other errors are duplicated from the
official government volume. These likely were the result of the original
transcriptions.
The first formal system for rewarding acts of individual gallantry by the
nation's fighting men was established by General George Washington on August
7, 1782. Designed to recognize "any singularly meritorious action," the
award consisted of a purple cloth heart. Records show that only three persons
received the ward: Sergeant Elijah Churchill, Sergeant William Brown, and
Sergeant Daniel Bissel Jr.
The Badge of Military Merit, as it was called, fell into oblivion until
1932, when General Douglas MacArthur, then Army Chief of Staff, pressed for
its revival. Officially reinstituted on February 22, 1932, the now familiar
Purple Heart was at first an Army award, given to those who had been wounded
in World War I or who possessed a Meritorious Service Citation Certificate.
In 1943, the order was amended to include personnel of the Navy, Marine Corps,
and Coast Guard. Coverage was eventually extended to include all services
and "any civilian national" wounded while serving with the Armed
Forces.
Although the Badge of Military Merit fell into disuse after the Revolutionary
War, the idea of a decoration for individual gallantry remained through the
early 1800s. In 1847, after the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, a "certificate
of merit" was established for any soldier who distinguished himself
in action. No medal went with the honor. After the Mexican-American War,
the award was discontinued, which meant there was no military award with
which to recognize the nation's fighting men.
Early in the Civil War, a medal for individual valor was proposed to General-in-Chief
of the Army Winfield Scott. But Scott felt medals smacked of European affectation
and killed the idea.
The medal found support in the Navy, however, where it was felt recognition
of courage in strife was needed. Public Resolution 82, containing a provision
for a Navy medal of valor, was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln
on December 21, 1861. The medal was "to be bestowed upon such petty
officers, seamen, landsmen, and Marines as shall most distinguish themselves
by their gallantry and other seamanlike qualities during the present war."
Shortly after this, a resolution similar in wording was introduced on behalf
of the Army. Signed into law July 12, 1862, the measure provided for awarding
a medal of honor "to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall
most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier
like qualities, during the present insurrection."
Although it was created for the Civil War, Congress made the Medal of Honor
a permanent decoration in 1863.
Almost 3,400 men and one woman have received the award for heroic actions
in the nation's battles since that time.
