Medal of Honor - South Preview

This tour contains three types of stops:

• HONOR stops mark the gravesites of specific indivudals.
• REMEMBER stops commemorate events, ideas, and groups of people.
• EXPLORE stops invite you to discover what history means to you.

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the armed services of the United States. It is awarded to service members who distinguish themselves “conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of [their] life above and beyond the call of duty.” More than 400 Medal of Honor recipients are laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, from conflicts ranging from the Civil War to current operations.

On December 9, 1861, Iowa Senator James W. Grimes introduced a bill to “promote the efficiency of the Navy” by producing and distributing “medals of honor… which shall be bestowed upon such petty officers, seamen, landsmen and marines as shall distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action and other seaman-like qualities.” President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill on December 21, 1861, creating the Navy’s Medal of Honor.

Two months later, on February 17, 1862, Massachusetts Senator Henry Wilson introduced a bill “for the presentation of ‘medals of honor’ to enlisted men of the army and volunteer forces who have or who may distinguish themselves in battle.” On July 12, 1862, the Army Medal of Honor was established. In 1863, Congress made Army officers eligible for the Medal of Honor. Naval officers were not eligible until 1915. On August 10, 1956, Congress authorized the United States Air Force (established as a separate service branch in 1947) to create its own Medal of Honor.

• One of the few enlisted U.S. Air Force members awarded the Medal of Honor.
• Saved his aircraft and crew by removing a burning flare after an enemy attack in Vietnam.

• Received the Medal of Honor for skillfully flying a badly damaged aircraft and saving his surviving crew.
• His plane's crew was one of the most decorated aircrews in Army Air Corps and Air Force history.

• Earned the Medal of Honor for extraordinary bravery during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in World War I.
• Became one of the most decorated American soldiers of World War I, receiving U.S. and foreign honors.
• Chosen as a body bearer at the burial of the World War I Unknown Soldier in 1921.

• One of only 19 service members to receive two Medals of Honor, awarded posthumously by both the Army and Navy for heroism on October 3, 1918.
• Singlehandedly attacked and captured two enemy machine guns and took 40 prisoners during the Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge in World War I.

• Awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic medical service under intense enemy fire at Vierzy, France, on July 19, 1918, during World War I.
• Served as a career Navy medical officer in both world wars, earning numerous decorations including the Distinguished Service Cross, six Silver Stars, a Bronze Star with Valor, and three Purple Hearts.

Medal of Honor recipients’ headstones are often engraved with a Medal of Honor symbol. This is the only symbol allowed on government-provided headstones, aside from religious emblems and the Southern Cross for Confederate graves. ​

The symbols are based on the Medal of Honor’s medal design. As each branch has a unique medal, some with multiple redesigns, you’ll notice a few different symbols on Medal of Honor recipients’ headstones.

• First Marine officer captured during the Vietnam War and the only Marine awarded the Medal of Honor for actions taken as a prisoner of war.
• Demonstrated extraordinary selflessness by sharing food and medicine, caring for weaker prisoners, and sacrificing his own health over three years of imprisonment.

• First service member awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during the Iraq War (Operation Iraqi Freedom).
• Manned an exposed .50 caliber machine gun under heavy fire, sacrificing his life while enabling the safe evacuation of wounded soldiers and defeating the enemy attack.

• Awarded the Medal of Honor for daringly escaping from a German POW camp during World War I and delivering vital submarine intelligence to Allied forces.
• Served ten years in the U.S. House of Representatives.

• Fought off a German raiding party in May 1918, killing four enemy soldiers and rescuing a wounded comrade during what became known as the “Battle of Henry Johnson.”
• Awarded the Medal of Honor in 2015 for extraordinary heroism in World War I, becoming one of only two African Americans to receive it for that conflict.

The Medal of Honor has not always held the prestige that it holds today, and it is not the oldest medal of valor. General George Washington created the first American military medal of valor, the Badge of Military Merit, during the Revolutionary War. This medal was one of the first awards for common soldiers and Washington awarded the medal to three sergeants in the Continental Army. The medal then disappeared from use for 150 years, seemingly forgotten.

When the Medal of Honor was created during the Civil War, it was the only military medal of valor in use and, as a result, was distributed widely. It remained the only military medal for exemplary service until World War I, when the U.S. military introduced the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal and the Silver Star. The Purple Heart was created in 1932, when U.S. Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur revived, and renamed, the former Badge of Military Merit. Reflecting the Medal of Honor’s changing significance, Congress has updated the award criteria throughout its history. At times, this has resulted in the military rescinding Medals of Honor; more often, it results in previously overlooked individuals finally getting the recognition they deserve.

In 1916, Congress directed the Army to review all Medals of Honor awarded since the Civil War to determine if any medals were wrongly awarded – mainly due to clerical error or failing to meet the “standard established by the authorities at the time of the award.” After reviewing all 2,625 medals, the board rescinded 911, including the only medal ever awarded to a woman. In 1977, Congress restored Mary Edwards Walker’s medal, and she remains the only female Medal of Honor recipient.

This walking tour has introduced you to service members whose names will forever be linked to their heroic actions. Here at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, however, the highest military honors have been bestowed on service members whose names and actions are unknown.

Before burial, all four Unknown Soldiers lay in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda prior to being escorted to Arlington National Cemetery in a large military procession. Each received a state funeral, at which the president of the United States presented the Medal of Honor—in recognition of the fact that the Unknowns could have performed actions that merited this award. You can see these Medals of Honor, along with other honors bestowed upon the Unknown Soldiers, in the Memorial Amphitheater Display Room (at the top of the amphitheater stairs).

After World War I, the United States also awarded the Medal of Honor to unknown soldiers from Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy and Romania. They are the only Medal of Honor recipients from foreign militaries.

To protect the Tomb and to honor the service of the Unknown Soldiers, the Tomb is guarded 24/7 by soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, “The Old Guard.” The Tomb Guard marches 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb, turns and faces east for 21 seconds, turns and faces north for 21 seconds, and then takes 21 steps down the mat. Next, the Guard executes a sharp "shoulder-arms" movement to place his/her weapon on the shoulder closest to the visitors, signifying that he or she stands between the Tomb and any possible threat. The number 21 symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed: the 21-gun salute.

You've reached the end of the Medal of Honor-South Tour. We hope you enjoyed your time exploring the cemetery and learning about the brave recipients of this award.

You can explore additional content and resources on the Arlington National Cemetery Education Program website, or find more tours through Arlington National Cemetery's STQRY.