Medal of Honor

:For the computer game, see Medal of Honor (computer game).

Awarding the medal

There are two distinct means of being approved for the Medal of Honor. The first and most common is nomination by a service member in the chain of command followed by approval at each level of command. The other method is nomination by a member of Congress (generally at the request of a constituent) and approval by a special Act. In either case, the Medal of Honor is presented by the President on behalf of Congress.

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The Army Medal of Honor was first awarded during the American Civil War and was last officially awarded on September 23, 2005 to Corporal Tibor Rubin, a concentration camp survivor during the Second World War, for actions that occurred during the Korean War in 1950-1953. {{ref|Smith}} The idea was conceived by U.S. Senator James Grimes of Iowa for the Medal of Honor in 1861. The flag was designed by former Army Special Forces First Sergeant Bill Kendall of Jefferson, Iowa who had a private flag company make the first one for Darrell Lindsey a WWII recepient from Jefferson, Iowa. His design was submitted by Congress to Sarah LeClerc of the Heraldry department at the Army which recommended removing the words Medal of Honor and adding gold bunting around the flag border. The law specifies that all 143 living Medal of Honor recepients receive the flag also along with all future MOH recipients.

Related Topics:
American Civil War - September 23 - 2005 - Corporal - Tibor Rubin - Korean War - 1950-1953

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The criteria for the award became more strict after World War I. In all, 3,460 Medals of Honor have been awarded. Since the beginning of World War II only 852 have been awarded, 526 of them posthumously.

Related Topics:
World War I - World War II

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The rare soldier who wears the Medal of Honor is accorded special privileges that include higher pay, preference for their children at the U.S. military academies, and the respect and admiration of all other service persons. Additionally a recipient my be Honorably Discharged from the military at any time upon his request. Traditionally, Medal of Honor recipients, regardless of rank, are saluted by all other service members, including the Commander-in-Chief.

Related Topics:
U.S. military academies - Rank - Commander-in-Chief

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