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It is sometimes referred to as the “Congressional Medal of Honor“.[2][13][14][15] The secretary of the Army, on behalf of the Department of Defense, has testified to Congress that the term “Congressional Medal of Honor“ is “incorrect“ as a matter of statute, and that “it seems inappropriate to modify the name of the medal with the word 'Congressional' as each award is made in the name of the Congress,“ through a mandated process in the military chain of command, not 'by' Congress,[c] and there is no other Medal of Honor, so no need for the modifier.[16] The U.S. Senate also lists the award without the “congressional“ modifier, suggesting that both the executive and at least this branch of the legislature agree on this point.[17] There are three distinct variants of the medal: one for the Army, awarded to soldiers, one for the Naval Service, awarded to sailors, marines, and coast guardsmen, and one for the Air and Space Forces, awarded to airmen and guardians.[1][18] The Medal of Honor was introduced for the Naval Service in 1861,[19] soon followed by the Army's version in 1862.[20] The Air Force used the Army's version until they received their own distinctive version in 1965.[21] The Medal of Honor is the oldest continuously issued combat decoration of the United States Armed Forces.[22] The President typically presents the Medal of Honor at a formal ceremony intended to represent the gratitude of the American people, with posthumous presentations made to the primary next of kin.[23][24][25] According to the Medal of Honor Historical Society of the United States, there have been 3,535 Medals of Honor awarded since the decoration's creation, with over 40% awarded for actions during the American Civil War.[11] Notably, however, 911 Army medals were revoked after Congress authorized a review in 1917, and a number of Navy medals were also revoked prior to the turn of the century—none of these are included in this total except for those that were subsequently restored.[26] In 1990, Congress designated March 25 annually as “National Medal of Honor Day“.[27] History edit Medal of Honor (without the suspension ribbon) awarded to Seaman John Ortega in 1864. Medal of Honor awarded posthumously in 1866 to John Morehead Scott, one of the Andrews Raiders In 1861, early in the American Civil War, a proposal for a battlefield decoration for valor was submitted to Lieutenant General Winfield Scott, the Commanding General of the United States Army, by Lieutenant Colonel Edward D. Townsend, an assistant adjutant at the Department of War and Scott's chief of staff.[28] Scott, however, was strongly against the American republic's awarding medals for valor, a European monarchical tradition.[28] After Scott retired in October 1861, however, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles adopted the idea of a decoration to recognize and honor distinguished naval service.[28] On December 9, 1861, Iowa Senator James W. Grimes, Chairman on the Committee on Naval Affairs,[29] introduced bill S. 82.[30][31] The bill included a provision authorizing 200 “medals of honor,“[32] “to be bestowed upon such petty officers, seamen, landsmen, and marines as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action and other seaman-like qualities during the present war....“[33] On December 21, the bill was passed and signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. Secretary Welles directed the Philadelphia Mint to design the new military decoration.[34][35][36] On May 15, 1862, the United States Department of the Navy ordered 175 medals ($ each) from the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia with “Personal Valor“ inscribed on the back of each one.[37] On February 15, 1862, Senator Henry Wilson, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs and the Militia, introduced a resolution for a Medal of Honor for the Army.[38] The resolution was approved by Congress and signed into law on July 12, 1862.[38] This measure provided for awarding a medal of honor “to such non-commissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action and other soldier-like qualities during the present insurrection.“[38] By mid-November the Department of War contracted with Philadelphia silversmith William Wilson and Son, who had been responsible for the Navy's design, to prepare 2,000 medals for the Army ($ each) to be struck at the mint.[39] The Army's version had “The Congress to“ written on the back of the medal. Both versions were made of copper and coated with bronze, which “gave them a reddish tint.“ #god #usa #veteransday2023 #youtubeshorts
