Medal of Honor Recipients
Sergeant Alvin York: Personal Accounts That Reveal His True Story
By Lt. Col. Taylor V. BeattieThey had spent a cold, wet, miserable evening in October 1918 in a drainage ditch along the Varennes-Fleville road. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Medal of Honor recipients include those U.S. military personnel who have received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest decoration for valor in combat. Medal of Honor recipients are presented a medal which is indicative of the recipient’s branch of service and worn at the throat, suspended from a pale blue ribbon. The criteria for Medal of Honor recipients has evolved through the years since the award was established during the Civil War.
Medal of Honor Recipients
General Frederick Funston
By Shippen SwiftLooking at a 1917 newspaper photo of Frederick Funston, barely 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing just a biscuit over a hundred pounds, today’s reader would wonder whatever made U.S. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Medal of Honor Recipient George Mabry
By Gerald AstorAs a captain during World War II, George Mabry, with the 4th Infantry Division, slogged ashore on Utah Beach on D-Day and led troops through the Normandy Campaign. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Marine Lieutenant Jack Power: WWII Medal of Honor Recipient
By Michael D. HullOutside City Hall in Worcester, Mass., stands a soldier who has been on guard duty since 1947. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
The OSS’ Operation Cardinal: Locating General Jonathan Wainwright
By John ManciniOn May 6, 1942, in the Malinta Tunnel, Corregidor Island, General Jonathan Wainwright waited for the Japanese to respond to his surrender offer with a cease-fire. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
First Sergeant John L. Canley’s Marines at Hue
By William E. WelshThe crackle of small-arms fire on the night of January 30-31, 1968, alerted the South Vietnamese troops at an outpost three miles south of Hue City that the enemy was nearby. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Union Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing
By William E. WelshOne of the smoothbore cannons in Captain Merritt B. Miller’s Third Company of the Washington Artillery deployed west of Emmitsburg Road just south of the town of Gettysburg fired a single round at 1:07 p.m. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Medal of Honor Recipient: Henry Lawton
By Chuck LyonsOn August 3, 1864, near Atlanta, Georgia, Captain Henry Lawton of Indiana led a group of Union skirmishers in a charge against Confederate rifle pits. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Marine Corporal Dakota Meyer in Afghanistan
By William E. WelshMoonlight bathed the dusty narrow path leading into the village of Ganjal shortly before sunrise on September 8, 2009, as nearly 100 soldiers climbed out of more than a dozen vehicles a mile from the seemingly peaceful village. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Jim McCloughan received the Medal of Honor for service during the Vietnam War
By Nicholas VarangisThe Vietnam War ended in 1975, yet it has taken decades for the heroism and sacrifices of many of the men who fought and served to be recognized. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Joe Foss and Charles Lindbergh
By Allyn VannoyJoseph J. Foss (April 17, 1915–January 1, 2003) was born on a farm near Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Thomas Custer Fought and Died with His Brother at Little Big Horn
By David MichlovitzPractically all students of military history know of George Armstrong Custer the cavalry officer, Civil War hero, and dashing, controversial Indian fighter ultimately killed at the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Desmond Doss: The Hero of Hacksaw Ridge
By Nicholas Varangis“One of the greatest heroes in American history never fired a bullet.” That is the tagline of Director Mel Gibson’s 2016 film, Hacksaw Ridge. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Richard Bong (1920-1945)
By Sam McGowanWithout dispute, the P-38 was the airplane of the aces. While other fighter types had their share of aces, the P-38 was flown by most of the top scorers, of whom Major Richard Ira Bong was at the top of the heap. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Donald R. Lobaugh: From Delinquent to Medal of Honor Recipient
By Richard A. BerantyDonald R. Lobaugh was a juvenile delinquent, a kid sent to reform school when he was 16 years old. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Conspicuous Gallantry at Tarawa: Alexander “Sandy” Bonnyman’s Medal of Honor
By Joseph M. HorodyskFour Medals of Honor were awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry during the invasion of Tarawa atoll in the Pacific during World War II. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Behind the Scenes on Hacksaw Ridge: An Interview With Producer Terry Benedict
By Nicholas VarangisWarfare History Network sat down with Terry Benedict, one of the Producers of the new Mel Gibson film Hacksaw Ridge to ask some questions about the film and its subject, Desmond Doss. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Medal of Honor Recipient: Henry “Red” Erwin
By Robert F. DorrIn the closing months of World War II, Staff Sergeant Henry E. “Red” Erwin, Sr., picked up a burning phosphorus flare inside the cramped fuselage of his Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber high over Japan. Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Segregation in the U.S. Military: Ruben Rivers
By Michael HaskewOn July 26, 1948, President Harry Truman issued Executive Order No. 9981, which stated in part, “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin.” Read more
Medal of Honor Recipients
Charles Kettles Awarded the Medal of Honor
On July 18, 2016, President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Charles Kettles, whose actions in the Vietnam War saved dozens of American lives. Read more
