The Medal of Honor

Design Change

The original Civil War design of the Medal of Honor lasted until 1896 when the Army made a minor change in the ribbon from which the Medal was suspended (left).

In 1904, a major change was made in the Army Medal of Honor (right), and this change was brought on by many imitations being made and issued by various veterans groups such as the Grand Army of the Republic. The new design retained the five-pointed star with a profile of Minerva in the center, surrounded by a green enameled laurel wreath suspended from a bar with the word "Valor" inscribed and the Army eagle resting above.

The Navy has made very minor changes over the years, and today the Navy Medal of Honor is about the same as it was in the beginning. In 1919, the Navy did create a new medal for actual combat only, and this was often referred to as the Tiffany Cross. Only a handful were awarded by the Navy, and it was eliminated by Congress in 1942. During World War II, another change was made for both medals where they were attached to a ribbon that is draped around the neck.

The Unification Act of 1947, which created the National Military establishment, made the US Air Force a separate and equal service. It also created the National Security Council and gave official life to the Central Intelligence Agency. While the Air Force became independent in 1947, an Air Force Medal of Honor was not created until 1963. The Air Force awards during the Vietnam conflict are the only awards of the Air Force Medal of Honor. Those awarded during the Korean War were Army Medals of Honor.

Relatively few Medals of Honor were awarded for service in World War I. A total of 123 of which 95 were Army, 21 Navy, and 7 Marines. Perhaps the most famous of these was to the Tennessee Mountain boy, Alvin C. York.

World War II included 433 awards of the Medal of Honor with 294 by the Army, 57 by the Navy, 81 by the Marines, and one by the Coast Guard. In the long history of the medal, only one member of the Coast Guard had been awarded the Medal of Honor. Douglas A. Munro, Signalman First Class, was serving with the Navy on September 27, 1942, and in charge of a group of Higgins boats attempting to evacuate a battalion of Marines from the Point Cruz area of Guadalcanal. While Munro lost his life, his actions with his buddies resulted in the safe evacuation of some 500 Marines.

There were some peacetime awards of the Medal of Honor that should be mentioned. These are different from the 180 noncombat awards of the Navy Medal of Honor which practice was ended in 1942. Nine awards had been made to Unknown Soldiers of the several wars, the last being done by President Reagan in 1984 when the Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam War was so honored. Special legislation resulted in awards to Admiral Richard E. Byrd and his machinist Floyd Bennett for the Arctic explorations; Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh for his heroic flight across the Atlantic; Major General Adolphus W. Greely whose name is probably forgotten by most Americans, whose citation referred to his lifetime of service to our Nation; and lastly, Colonel Billy Mitchell, an early advocate of Air Power, who was awarded a Medal of Honor, the design of which does not resemble the Medal of Honor, but whose name in included in the Official Congressional compilations.

The Korean War accounts for 131 Medals of Honor: Army 78, Air Force 14, Navy 7, and Marines 42.

Vietnam included 238 awards: Army 155, Air Force 12, Navy 14, and Marines 57.

From the Civil War through the Vietnam conflict, 3,394 awards have been made. This represents 3,394 heroes out of more than 38 million men and women who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States during that period, a very elite and small group who answered the call to duty and then served above and beyond.

Present Day Medals of Honor


Army	Navy	Airforce