Gallantry and intrepidity: The Medal of Honor | Asszony

The youngest was 11 years old; the oldest was 62. One was the President of the United States; one was a woman. They were of various races and religions. They came from all walks of life and from all parts of the country. They came from all ranks. Their courage and dedication to duty was boundless. They were among the 3,500 to be awarded the nation’s highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor. The medal is given to those who distinguished themselves “conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity” at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.

By an act of Congress, March 25 has been designated as Medal of Honor Day.

It started during the Civil War when, in 1861, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the awarding of the Medal of Honor to “such non-commissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier like qualities.” In 1863, the medal would become a permanent military decoration for all members of the military.

Willie Johnson was an 11-year-old drummer boy in the 3rd Vermont Infantry during the Civil War. In June 1862, Confederate forces overpowered the Union Army in the Seven Day Battles, near Richmond, Virginia. During their rapid retreat, the northern troops threw away their arms and equipment. Young Willie continued to cling to his drum. It was considered a meritorious feat. Lincoln heard about the drummer boy’s action and recommended he receive the Medal of Honor.  The earlier requirements concerning the Medal of Honor were less restrictive. As time passed the requirements to receive the medal were increased, but, ‘Willie’s medal was never revoked.

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, was nominated for the Medal of Honor for his actions at the battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. His nomination was passed over. However, in 2001 Roosevelt was posthumously awarded the medal by President Bill Clinton. Roosevelt was among one of the pairs of fathers and sons to be awarded the Medal of Honor. General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. received the medal for his actions in World War II. General Arthur McArthur received the medal during the Civil War, and his son, General Douglas McArthur, at age 62, earned the medal during World War II.

It's March — Woman’s History Month — and it's worth noting that she was the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor. Her name was Mary Edwards Walker. Although she was a qualified medical doctor and surgeon, she was relegated to work as a nurse during much of the Civil War. She would later become the Army's first female surgeon. For her extraordinary work, her bravery under fire, her escapades in crossing enemy lines to help the wounded and becoming a prisoner of war — she was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Andrew Johnson in 1865. The medal was later revoked. She would not, however, return it and wore it on her lapel until her death in 1919 at age 86. In 1977 an Army board restored Walker’s right to the medal “for her distinguished gallantry, self-sacrifice, patriotism, dedication and unflinching loyalty to her country, despite the discrimination she suffered because of her sex."

Of the 3,500 recipients of the Medal of Honor, 70 came from New Jersey and 618 were awarded posthumously.

It has been rightly said, “We don’t know them all but we owe them all.”

Carl J. Asszony, a longtime New Jersey veterans' advocate, can be reached at njveteran30@gmail.com.