The Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military honor. As of today, there's been a total of 3,492 Medal of Honor recipients. The Medal of Honor is awarded for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. It's presented by the President of the United States. Flaherty's medals are on display at "Michigan's Own Military Museum" in Frankenmuth.
These are the three present day types of the Medal of Honor. (left) Army, (middle) Navy, (right) and Air Force.
Past and Present Medal of Honors (Army and Navy)
6 Facts - Medal of Honor
The idea of a Medal of Honor was thought of as too "European."
General Winfield Scott said it smacked of European tradition. After his retirement, Medal of Honor supporters in congress introduce bills providing for the decoration
Only one woman has received the Medal of Honor
Mary Edwards Walker, a medical doctor, volunteered with the Union Army at the outbreak of the Civil War. What she had to do was cross enemy lines to treat civilians. In 1864, Walker was captured. The next year she was released.
Theodore Roosevelt is the only U.S. President to be awarded the Medal of Honor
He led the regiment known as the "rough riders." Roosevelt and his men played a decisive role in the Battle of San Juan Hill and other confrontations in Cuba. In 1916, he was nominated for the Medal of Honor, but the army passed him over citing a lack of evidence. President Bill Clinton posthumously awarded him the decoration in 2001.
The youngest Medal of Honor recipient earned his award at age 11
Willie Johnston enlisted in the Union Army alongside his father, serving as a drummer boy. in 1862, overpowered by Confederate forces, his unit retreated down the Virginia Peninsula under orders from General George McClellan. The men discarded their equipment to hasten their pace. But young Willie never let go of his drum. When Abraham Lincoln heard about this he recommended him for the Medal of Honor. Willie received the Medal of Honor in September 1863.
The award is not called the Congressional Medal of Honor
The confusion may have arisen because the president presents the award “in the name of Congress.” There's also a Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which represents recipients of the Medal of Honor, maintains their records and organizes reunion events.
It's illegal to wear someone else's Medal of Honor
U.S. criminal law forbids the unauthorized wearing, manufacture and sale of military decorations, and misuse of a Medal of Honor carries a particularly huge penalty. In 2006 President George W. Bush signed into law the Stolen Valor Act, which imposed a prison sentence of up to one year on anyone falsely claiming to have received a Medal of Honor.
General Winfield Scott said it smacked of European tradition. After his retirement, Medal of Honor supporters in congress introduce bills providing for the decoration
Only one woman has received the Medal of Honor
Mary Edwards Walker, a medical doctor, volunteered with the Union Army at the outbreak of the Civil War. What she had to do was cross enemy lines to treat civilians. In 1864, Walker was captured. The next year she was released.
Theodore Roosevelt is the only U.S. President to be awarded the Medal of Honor
He led the regiment known as the "rough riders." Roosevelt and his men played a decisive role in the Battle of San Juan Hill and other confrontations in Cuba. In 1916, he was nominated for the Medal of Honor, but the army passed him over citing a lack of evidence. President Bill Clinton posthumously awarded him the decoration in 2001.
The youngest Medal of Honor recipient earned his award at age 11
Willie Johnston enlisted in the Union Army alongside his father, serving as a drummer boy. in 1862, overpowered by Confederate forces, his unit retreated down the Virginia Peninsula under orders from General George McClellan. The men discarded their equipment to hasten their pace. But young Willie never let go of his drum. When Abraham Lincoln heard about this he recommended him for the Medal of Honor. Willie received the Medal of Honor in September 1863.
The award is not called the Congressional Medal of Honor
The confusion may have arisen because the president presents the award “in the name of Congress.” There's also a Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which represents recipients of the Medal of Honor, maintains their records and organizes reunion events.
It's illegal to wear someone else's Medal of Honor
U.S. criminal law forbids the unauthorized wearing, manufacture and sale of military decorations, and misuse of a Medal of Honor carries a particularly huge penalty. In 2006 President George W. Bush signed into law the Stolen Valor Act, which imposed a prison sentence of up to one year on anyone falsely claiming to have received a Medal of Honor.