The Medal of Honor and Medal of Honor Grove

The Medal of Honor and Medal of Honor Grove. . , The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration a U.S. military member can receive. It was authorized by an Act of Congress in 1861 for the Navy and 1862 for the Army., The Medal is earned, not "won", by actions far beyond what is expected of a military member. A recipient's nomination must be submitted either through the chain of command or by a member of Congress with ultimate approval resting with the President. It is usually presented by the President of the United States at a White House ceremony. Sixty percent of recipients receive the Medal posthumously. There are three versions of the Medal (as shown above): one for the Navy (which has included the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard), one for the Army and one for the Air Force (which will also include the Space Force). It is illegal to wear the Medal if not a recipient or to sell a Medal of Honor., Since its inception, over 3,500 Medals have been presented but only one, to date, to a female (Dr. Mary Walker, USA) and one to a member of the Coast Guard (Doug Munro)., The Medal of Honor Grove is a living legacy to every Medal of Honor recipient. Each state has a designated area for honoring their recipients. Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia also have an area within the Grove. There is a plaza at each area on which there is a 7 ft. obelisk. On this obelisk is the state or territory seal and engraved on the obelisk are the names of each Medal of Honor recipient from that state or territory. In addition, there are ground plaques in each area listing a recipient's name, his/her branch of service and the date of action for which the Medal was awarded., There are two other areas in the Grove as well: the Chaplains Memorial and the Ancient Order of Hibernians memorial. Nine military chaplains are honored at the Chaplains Memorial, while over 160 immigrants who served in our military and received a Medal of Honor, are remembered at the AOH memorial. Most of these immigrants were from Ireland while the rest were from other countries around the world., The first four states (California, Mississippi, Nevada, and Ohio) were dedicated in 1968 with the others following in the next few years. Each state raised its own funds to pay for the obelisk and ground plaques., The Grove is designated "Open Space” and will remain as a living legacy to our nation's Medal of Honor recipients in perpetuity., [Photo caption reads] The Chaplains Memorial