The Medal of Honor is our nation’s highest recognition for valor. It is awarded to members of the military who display “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty”. Today, the medal is held in great reverence; a potent symbol of extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice. But it wasn’t always so.
The medal, created in 1861, was sometimes used during the Civil War to reward soldiers for rather mundane acts. In 1916, the Army established a board of five generals to review the matter. The board struck 911 medals. Among those who lost their medals were 864 members of the 27th Maine Volunteers who guarded Washington, D.C. during the war, 29 men of President Lincoln’s funeral procession, and Dr. Mary Walker, a civilian doctor. The medals of five men of the funeral procession, including “Buffalo Bill” Cody and Dr. Walker have been restored. It wasn’t until 1963 that the language and criteria for awarding the medal were standardized.
Since its inception in 1861, interesting statistics regarding the medal’s recipients have emerged:
– Three thousand five hundred eighty-nine medals have been awarded, including 61 living recipients. (The words “won/winner” are not used.)
– Six unknown foreign soldiers from Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, and Romania were awarded the medal after World War I.
– There were seven sets of brothers who received the medal.
– Nineteen men were awarded two medals. Tom Custer, George’s brother, received his two for capturing three Confederate flags within two weeks.
– Willie Johnston, a Vermont drummer-boy is, at age 11, the youngest to receive the medal.
– Two hundred fifty-seven foreign-born soldiers have been awarded the medal.
– Four hundred of the recipients are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
– There are two sets of father/son recipients: Arthur MacArthur/Douglas MacArthur and Theodore and Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Arthur MacArthur was awarded the medal for his exploits at the Battle of Missionary Ridge during the Civil War. He picked up his regiment’s national colors after the bearer had been shot and successfully led a fierce charge against a fortified trench. Even though Douglas was the most decorated officer in the American Army in World War I (receiving seven Silver Stars), he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his efforts in defending the Philippines in World War II.
Sitting astride his horse, Little Texas, Lt. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt of the Rough Riders led the American charge up San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War, capturing the Spanish lines. He believed that he should have received the medal. He said that not receiving it was the greatest disappointment of his life. He received his medal in 2016 when President Bill Clinton presented it to his family. Like his father, Theodore Jr. graduated from Harvard and led a varied life before fighting in World War I. He served in North Africa and Sicily in the Second World War before becoming a planner for the D-Day invasion. Brig. General Roosevelt persuaded the top brass to give him a command on Utah Beach during the invasion. At age 56, he was the oldest man on the beaches. Armed with a pistol and a cane, he rallied the disorganized troops and led them to capture and hold several key objectives. Roosevelt died a month later of a heart attack. He is buried in France next to his brother Quentin, who was killed in World War I.
In future articles, we will profile several local recipients, including two from Clermont County.
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