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*Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, USA, B Com- pany, 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infan- try Division, held the enemy at bay allowing for the wounded to be carried out near Bagh- dad, Iraq, April 4, 2003.


52 MILITARY OFFICER D ECEMBER 2011


IN ITS 150 YEARS, there have been 3,458 Medal of Honor recipients. Though bravery reigns supreme today as it did more than a cen- tury ago, warfare and heroism worthy of the Medal of Honor have evolved. In the 19th cen- tury, capturing an enemy flag was as crucial and heroic an act as rescuing a drowning shipmate. During World War II, corpsmen side-armed


live enemy grenades and absorbed gunfire as they enveloped the wounded. In Vietnam, enlisted men sacrificed themselves shielding their brothers from enemy grenade blasts. A recent recipient lost his hand as he threw away an armed enemy grenade to save his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan. Though the action might change, says Vietnam Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Col. Hal Fritz, USA-Ret., “it involves those willing to risk their own lives or well-being to save the lives of others.”


Establishing an award Military medals have not always suit- ed American tastes. With no awards available during the Revolutionary War, Gen. George Washington deter- mined a special honor for gallantry was needed for his Continental


Army. Established Aug. 7, 1782, three purple-cloth, heart-shaped Badges of Military Merit were awarded. The badge went the way of the


Revolution, and by 1847, the sacri- fices by Americans during the Mex- ican-American War called for a new honor. This certificate of merit, sans medal, was awarded to soldiers who distinguished themselves in battle. It, too, disappeared once the war ended. Within 15 years, the nation again


was locked in conflict. A medal for valor was proposed early in the Civil War. The Medal of Honor first was adopted by the U.S. Navy in Decem- ber 1861. President Lincoln signed Public Resolution 82 ushering in the Navy’s medal “to be bestowed upon such petty officers, seamen, landsmen, and Marines as shall most distinguish themselves by their gal-


*Cpl. Jason Dunham, USMC, 3rd Battalion 7th Marines, fought hand-to-hand with the enemy and hurled himself on a grenade to protect fellow Marines in Iraq near the Syrian border April 14, 2004.


*INDICATES THE MEDAL OF HONOR WAS AWARDED POSTHUMOUSLY


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