Medal of Honor - North Preview

This tour contains three types of stops:

• HONOR stops mark the gravesites of specific individuals.
• REMEMBER stops commemorate events, ideas, or groups of people.
• EXPLORE stops invite you to discover what this 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.

• Took command of his platoon after its commanding officer was injured, and destroyed an enemy encampment before dying from his wounds.
• One of only two African American men awarded the Medal of Honor for actions performed during the Korean War.

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 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.

• One of the first Marines to earn both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross in World War II, and the first Marine to hold a four-star rank while on active duty.
• Vandegrift served as commandant of the Marine Corps from 1944 to 1948, overseeing the Corps’ expansion through the end of the war and ensuring its continued postwar significance.

• Received the Medal of Honor for completing the first flight over the North Pole in 1926.
• First person to fly over both poles of the Earth.

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.

• Received the Medal of Honor for rescuing refugees during the United States occupation of Veracruz, Mexico in 1914.
• Commanded the U.S. Navy Task Forces during pivotal Pacific Theater battles in the spring and summer of 1942, including the Battles of Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, and Eastern Solomon Islands.

• First helicopter pilot to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
• Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor after voluntarily conducting a risky helicopter rescue in North Korea during the Korean War, and for his courageous actions as a prisoner of war.

• One of only two African American soldiers to receive the Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars of the late 19th century.
• While escorting the Army paymaster in 1889, Mays assumed command of his regiment after his commander was injured, and fought to protect the gold and silver coins from a bandit ambush.

• Received the Medal of Honor at age 18 for his bravery during the Civil War Battle of Missionary Ridge.
• Appointed as the military governor of the occupied Philippines by President William McKinley.

• One of approximately 100 service members awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during the Civil War Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864.

• Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for resisting capture by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War, and his “unyielding courage and bravery while a prisoner of war.”

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.

You've reached the end of the Medal of Honor Tour - North. We hope you enjoyed your time exploring the cemetery and learning about the lives of those who received the Medal of Honor. 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.