For recent official citations, see CRS Report RL30011, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979-2014 , by [author name scrubbed] and CRS Report R43939, Medal of Honor Recipients in the 113th Congress: A Fact Sheet , by [author name scrubbed]. Although not the first military award, the medal became one of the most popular and prestigious awards. As of this printing, 3,512 Medals of Honor have been awarded to 3,493 recipients. For this reason it is sometimes called the Congressional Medal of Honor. In 1918, during U.S. participation in World War I, Congress decided to clear away any inconsistencies of the legislation which had grown around the Army medal and make a set of rules for its award....
[T]he provisions of existing law relating to the award of the Medals of Honor ... are amended so that the President is authorized to present, in the name of Congress, a Medal of Honor only to each person who, while an officer or enlisted man of the Army, shall hereafter, in action involving actual conflict with an enemy, distinguish himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Since the rescissions during World War I, no other MoH awards have been rescinded. In certain cases, Congress has held hearings concerning the award. Nevertheless, on numerous occasions, legislation has been introduced seeking to have the MoH awarded. In recent times, there have been a number of specific instances in which the MoH was awarded or reinstated outside of the statutory time limits. In one case, the award was renounced by a recipient. It is noteworthy that two MoH awards have gone "unclaimed." As a result of the review, 24 recipients were honored in 2014. On June 2, 2015, at a White House ceremony, President Obama presented Medals of Honor posthumously to Army Sergeant William Shemin and Army Private Henry Lincoln Johnson following the upgrade of their Distinguished Service Crosses to Medals of Honor.
The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest military award for bravery. It is awarded by the President in the name of Congress. For this reason, it is often referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor. Since it was first presented in 1863, the medal has been awarded 3,512 times to 3,493 recipients. Nineteen individuals have been double recipients of the award.
Recipients of the Medal of Honor are afforded a number of benefits as a result of this award.
Since the award's inception, the laws and regulations that apply to it have changed. In certain cases, the award has been rescinded. Six rescinded awards have been reinstated.
On a number of occasions, legislation has been offered to waive certain restrictions and to encourage the President to award the Medal of Honor to particular individuals. Generally speaking, this type of legislation is rarely enacted. In a very limited number of cases, the medal has been awarded outside the legal restrictions concerning time limits. These cases are often based on technical errors, lost documents or eyewitness accounts, or other factors that justify reconsideration. These cases, however, represent the exception and not the rule.
The two most recent recipients from World War I, Army Private Henry Johnson and Army Sergeant William Shemin, were awarded Medals of Honor posthumously by President Obama on June 2, 2015.
For information on recent recipients, see CRS Report RL30011, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979-2014, and CRS Report R43939, Medal of Honor Recipients in the 113th Congress: A Fact Sheet.