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CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR
Click on the recipients name to read their Congressional Medal
of Honor Citation
Wilson, Alfred M.
(CPL, Marines) 
Young,
Marvin R
(SSGT, Army)
A
Brief History -
The Medal of Honor
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The first formal system for rewarding acts of individual
gallantry by the nation's fighting men was established by
General George Washington on August 7, 1782. Designed to recognize
"any singularly meritorious action," the award consisted
of a purple cloth heart. Records show that only three persons
received the ward: Sergeant Elijah Churchill, Sergeant William
Brown, and Sergeant Daniel Bissel Jr.
The Badge of Military Merit, as it was called, fell into
oblivion until 1932, when General Douglas MacArthur, then
Army Chief of Staff, pressed for its revival. Officially reinstituted
on February 22, 1932, the now familiar Purple Heart was at
first an Army award, given to those who had been wounded in
World War I or who possessed a Meritorious Service Citation
Certificate. In 1943, the order was amended to include personnel
of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Coverage was eventually
extended to include all services and "any civilian national"
wounded while serving with the Armed Forces.
Although the Badge of Military Merit fell into disuse after
the Revolutionary War, the idea of a decoration for individual
gallantry remained through the early 1800s. In 1847, after
the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, a "certificate
of merit" was established for any soldier who distinguished
himself in action. No medal went with the honor. After the
Mexican-American War, the award was discontinued, which meant
there was no military award with which to recognize the nation's
fighting men.
Early in the Civil War, a medal for individual valor was
proposed to General-in-Chief of the Army Winfield Scott. But
Scott felt medals smacked of European affectation and killed
the idea.
The medal found support in the Navy, however, where it was
felt recognition of courage in strife was needed. Public Resolution
82, containing a provision for a Navy medal of valor, was
signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on December 21,
1861. The medal was "to be bestowed upon such petty officers,
seamen, landsmen, and Marines as shall most distinguish themselves
by their gallantry and other seamanlike qualities during the
present war."
Shortly after this, a resolution similar in wording was introduced
on behalf of the Army. Signed into law July 12, 1862, the
measure provided for awarding a medal of honor "to such
noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish
themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldierlike
qualities, during the present insurrection."
Although it was created for the Civil War, Congress made
the Medal of Honor a permanent decoration in 1863.
Almost 3,400 men and one woman have received the award for
heroic actions in the nation's battles since that time.
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* Quoted from "Armed Forces Decorations
and Awards," a publication of the American Forces Information
Service. Copies of the pamphlet are available upon request
(in print format only), via the "DefenseLINK Comment/Question
Form" in the "Questions" section.
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