Monday, August 20, 2018

Greetings Infomaniacs,

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Generally presented to its recipient by the President of the United States of America in the name of Congress.

Let's learn some more about that prestigious award and the rare individuals who have earned it.

Enjoy!

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WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "They said we were soft, that we would not fight, that we could not win. We are not a warlike nation. We do not go to war for gain or for territory; we go to war for principles, and we produce young men like these. I think I told every one of them that I would rather have that medal, the Congressional Medal of Honor, than to be President of the United States."

HINT: An American politician of the Democratic Party who helped found the United Nations and got the $13 billion Marshall Plan enacted to rebuild Western Europe after World War II, among other accomplishments.

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RANDOM TIDBITS
The award is not called the Congressional Medal of Honor. Contrary to popular belief, the official title of the highest U.S. military distinction is simply the Medal of Honor, not the Congressional Medal of Honor. The confusion may have arisen because the president presents the award "in the name of Congress."

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There were no military awards or medals at the beginning of the Civil War (1861-1865) except for the Certificate of Merit which was awarded for the Mexican-American War. Public Resolution Number 82 "to promote the efficiency of the Navy" which included a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on December 21, 1861. A resolution for an Army Medal of Honor was approved by Congress and signed into law on July 12, 1862.

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The Medal of Honor has been awarded to 3,496 different persons. Of the 19 men that have been awarded the Medal of Honor twice, 14 received two separate medals for two separate actions, while five received both the Navy and Army Medals of Honor for the same action. As of June 2011, since the beginning of World War II, 851 Medals of Honor have been awarded, 523 posthumously.

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Mary Edwards Walker is the only woman ever to receive the Medal of Honor. She volunteered with the Union Army at the outbreak of the American Civil War and served as a surgeon. She was captured by Confederate forces after crossing enemy lines to treat wounded civilians and arrested as a spy. She was sent as a prisoner of war to Richmond, Virginia, until released in a prisoner exchange. After the war she was approved for the Medal of Honor for her efforts during the Civil War.

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Teddy Roosevelt is the only U.S. President who has ever been awarded the Medal of Honor. When the Spanish-American War broke out, Roosevelt quit his job as Secretary of the Navy to lead a volunteer regiment, know as the Rough Riders. He then played a pivotal role in the Battles of San Juan Hill and a series of other confrontations in Cuba. Accordingly, President Clinton posthumously honored him with the award in 2001.

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Recipients of the Medal of Honor are afforded the following benefits for their extraordinary heroism: a monthly $1,259 pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs, a 10-percent increase in retired pay, special entitlements to air transportation, among other benefits and privileges.




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*** Weekly Mind-Scrambler ***
All of these words have something in common: madam, civic, eye, level.

What is it?

Submit your answer by clicking: TheDailyTease

Answer will be posted in Friday's Trivia Today. Good Luck! If your name appears in Friday's newsletter, EMAIL MICHELE your complete name and address to be shipped your prize.

Be sure to put "Winner" in the subject line.

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WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "They said we were soft, that we would not fight, that we could not win. We are not a warlike nation. We do not go to war for gain or for territory; we go to war for principles, and we produce young men like these. I think I told every one of them that I would rather have that medal, the Congressional Medal of Honor, than to be President of the United States."

ANSWER: Harry S. Truman