Medal of Honor Recipients: An Introduction

The Medal of Honor is the highest military award for bravery that can be conferred on a member of the American armed forces. It is bestowed for a deed of supreme valor. More often than not, the Medal of Honor is awarded posthumously.

Congress established the Medal of Honor in 1861. Because it was the only military medal in existence and the criteria for the award were rather broad, the Medal of Honor was not bestowed very selectively during its early history. In one case, President Abraham Lincoln awarded the Medal of Honor to each member of a Massachusetts infantry regiment who volunteered to re-enlist in the Union Army.

To restore the prestige of the Medal of Honor, Congress established a board in 1916 to review all past awards. The board rescinded 911 of the 2,625 Medals of Honor issued before 1916. Congress also clarified the criteria for awarding the Medal of Honor by decreeing that it be reserved for those who

"... in action involving actual conflict with the enemy, distinguish himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty."

In addition to these criteria, the Navy's Medal of Honor has been awarded for saving lives at sea.

To ensure that only the "bravest of the brave" were awarded the Medal of Honor, the armed services established other medals to recognize courageous acts that did not necessarily warrant the nation's highest award.

Because of stricter standards and the creation of other medals to honor gallant actions, the number of Medal of Honor awards decreased significantly in the 20th century. Only 123 Medals of Honor were approved in World War I and only 435 in World War II. During the Korean War, 131 Medals of Honor were awarded, and 240 were bestowed during the Vietnam War.

Wisconsin citizens have been the recipients of 61 Medals of Honor. This figure does not include a special Congressional medal awarded to General William "Billy" Mitchell of Milwaukee, the pioneer air power theorist after whom Milwaukee's airport is named. Listed below, by conflict, are the number of Wisconsinites who have received the Medal of Honor.

• Civil War - 21
• Frontier Wars - 7
• Spanish-American War - 1
• Philippine-American War - 1
• Boxer Rebellion - 1
• Mexican Border Campaign - 2
• World War I - 2
• World War II -15
• Korean War - 5
• Vietnam War - 6

The names of the 61 courageous Wisconsinites who received the nation's highest award for bravery are engraved on polished black tablets at the Medal of Honor Memorial at the Wisconsin Tourist Information Center on Interstate 90 near Beloit. This memorial is intended to honor veterans from Wisconsin who answered our nation's call to arms in times peril, and especially to those who gave their lives in defense of our country and freedom throughout the world.