The Medal of Honor.
The United States' highest award for valor in combat.
Fewer than 3,600 of the over 41 million who have served
in the Armed Forces of the United States have been honored
to wear the medal for actions above and beyond the call
of duty.
It embodies the sacrifices of all our service members,
the history of our Armed Forces,
and the values that have shaped the nation
over the centuries:
courage, commitment, integrity,
sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism.
When the American revolution began in 1776,
the newly formed American Forces wanted
to distance themselves from the privileged aristocracy
of Europe.
As a nation founded on the value of the common man,
medals felt too much like the trappings of the British
and European monarchs and nobility.
So despite the many acts of valor exhibited during the war,
there were no medals distributed to officers or enlisted men
by the Continental Congress.
It would be our young nation's greatest challenge
that caused Congress to reevaluate its stance
on military honors.
Humiliating Union defeats early in the Civil War proved
that the confederacy would not be defeated quickly,
and desertion was running high.
The military needed a way to maintain morale
and make an example
of those who perform their duties heroically.
In December 1861, Senator James Grimes,
along with Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles,
proposed legislation to introduce an award
for valor in the Navy to honor those risking their lives
to maintain the Union
and encourage others to join the fight.
The medal would be presented to those
that "...shall most distinguish themselves
by their gallantry in action
and other seaman-like qualities..."
On December 21st 1861, Congress approved the legislation
and the Navy Medal of Honor was born.
Not to be outdone, the Army had Senator Henry Wilson
introduce similar legislation in February 1862,
creating an Army Medal of Honor.
It was signed in the law six months later in July.
The first Medals of Honor were presented to members
of the Andrews Raiders,
Union Army soldiers who commandeered a train
and used it to destroy Confederate telegraph lines, bridges,
and railroad tracks,
the lifelines of Southern infrastructure
and communication systems.
The raiders were captured and placed in prison camps.
Eight were tried and executed as spies
but six others were released
as part of a prisoner exchange.
In March of 1863, those six would be presented
with the first Medals of Honor
for their acts of courage and commitment
to the Union cause
in the face of fierce Confederate opposition.
Despite undergoing several redesigns since its creation,
the symbolism on the medal itself has always taken cues
from the purpose, strength, and bravery
of the individuals who wear it.
The initial designs depicted Minerva,
the Roman goddess of wisdom and war,
representing the United States.
She was shown fighting discord,
the embodiment of the nation's enemies.
Laurel and oak leaves, symbols of victory and strength,
fill in the branches of the five-pointed star.
34 stars representing the 34 states
at the time of the Civil War surround the central figures.
The Army was the first to alter its design.
The ribbon, at first, resembled the flag
with a rectangle of blue
above red and white vertical stripes.
In 1896, to avoid confusion
with the Grand Army of the Republic Medal design,
the Army ribbon was changed
to red, white, and blue vertical stripes.
In 1904, the ribbon changed again to a simple light blue
with 13 white stars, presenting the original colonies.
And the central figures on the medal were changed
to a profile of Minerva's head surrounded
by a green wreath of laurel leaves.
The Navy adopted the same ribbon in 1913.
A few years later, the Navy created a second design
of its medal to distinguish
between those who had received it for combat actions
versus non-combat actions.
Because Naval ships presented dangers and opportunities
for valor beyond enemy engagement,
many sailors had received the medal for actions
involving fires or sinking vessels.
To highlight those who had received the medal for combat,
the Navy introduced a cross-shaped medal designed
by Tiffany & Company.
The Tiffany Cross was almost immediately
distributed incorrectly.
The Navy discontinued non-combat awards in 1942
and returned to using only the familiar star shape design.
The U.S. Air Force introduced its design in 1965.
Even though it had become its own branch in 1947,
it kept the laurel and oak leaves of the Army medal
but replaced Minerva with a portrait of Lady Liberty.
During the last half of the 19th
and through the 20th century,
the Medal of Honor's requirements were refined
and cemented by Congress and the military.
In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt issued
an executive order establishing that the Medal of Honor
must be presented "...with formal and impressive ceremonial
by the President or by such representative
as the President may designate."
Previously, the medal could be handed out in the field
or simply mailed through the U.S. postal service.
In the case of a posthumous award,
where a service member has given their life,
the medal is presented to the family members
as an indelible symbol of their ultimate sacrifice.
In 1916, Congress established a review Board
of five generals to assess all Medals of Honor awarded
to that point.
The Board determined that some medals did not rise
to the level of exceptional heroism
that the medal represented,
and 911 names were withdrawn from the list
of Medal of Honor recipients;
among these were Buffalo Bill Cody
and the only woman to receive a Medal of Honor,
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker.
Six of those stripped of their medals
including Cody and Walker would see them restored
in the late 20th century.
To this day, Dr. Walker is the only female recipient
of the Medal of Honor.
In 1918, Congress created other medals
for valor in military service
in order to honor service members' other acts
of dedication and bravery,
but maintained the Medal of Honor
as the highest honor for service members
who act with gallantry and intrepidity
at the risk of his life above
and beyond the call of duty.
Today, each Medal of Honor recommendation
undergoes a scrupulous examination
and documentation process,
requiring after-action reports, eyewitness statements,
and many levels of review to ensure each award is held
to the highest standards.
Time limits ensure evidence is obtained in a timely manner
and that valorous actions are quickly recognized.
As the qualifications for the medal were refined
to make sure it represented the best of the best,
those who showed the highest valor
in the most extraordinary circumstances,
there were times that it was the nation's attitude
toward its service members that needed to be revised.
So beginning in the 1990s, there was a greater push
to review the efforts of service members
who may have been overlooked due to the color of their skin
or their religious beliefs.
In giving the actions of these veterans a second look,
the Medal of Honor could continue
to uphold the American ideal
that all its citizens were created equal.
Throughout our history, since the Civil War,
the medal has been presented to service members
from the trenches of World War I,
to the front lines of World War II,
from Korea,
to the jungles of Vietnam,
and the deserts of the Middle East.
And that is the medal's greatest legacy:
the selfless actions of those who defended America
and her citizens.
Though initially shunned by the Founding Fathers,
the medal embodies the spirit of the Revolution:
that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
For those service members who have received the medal,
it is a recognition from their country
that we honor their extraordinary heroism
and risk of life for us on the battlefield.
And for the average citizen,
it is a reminder of the courage, commitment,
integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism
that has gone into protecting and providing
for our nation and our freedom.