5 Interesting Facts About the Medal of Honor

Posted July 12, 2013 by Amanda | No Comment

Did you know that 151 years ago today, the Medal of Honor was created? As the highest military honor in the United States, the Medal of Honor awards individuals for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. Since its creation in 1862 during the Civil War, the Medal of Honor has been awarded to more than 3,400 men and one woman.

Here are some interesting facts about the Medal of Honor:

1. There are three versions of the medal, one for the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.

2. The first and only woman to be awarded the Medal of Honor (Army) is Mary Edwards Walker who was a civilian Union Army surgeon during the American Civil War. Her medal was temporarily rescinded based on a U.S. Army determination and then restored in 1977.

3. General Douglas MacArthur and his father, Arthur MacArthur, Jr. were the first father and son to be awarded the Medal of Honor. He received the medal for his service in the Battle of the Philippines and his father received the medal for his actions with the Union Army in the Battle of Missionary Ridge during the Civil War.

4. President Theodore Roosevelt is the only president to receive the Medal of Honor. He was posthumously awarded the medal for his charge up the San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. He and his son are the second father-son pair to receive the Medal of Honor. In 1944, his son, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., received the Medal of Honor for heroism in the Battle of Normandy.

5. More than half of those who have received the Medal of Honor were awarded posthumously.

Check out the Medal of Honor project to see a list of Medal of Honor recipients on Geni.