HISTORY BEHIND MEDAL OF HONOR

Almost 3,400 men and one woman have received the Medal of Honor since the United States Congress made it a permanent decoration in 1863. It is the highest military honor awarded by the United States.

Most of the medals have been awarded posthumously.

There were no Medal of Honor recipients from the Gulf War. Randall Shughart was the latest winner of the award, posthumously, for his valor and heroism in Somalia.

Originally adopted by the U.S. Navy as a medal of valor and signed into existence by President Abraham Lincoln on Dec. 21, 1861, the medal was introduced into the U.S. Army on July 12, 1862. It was to honor "such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action."

Gen. George Washington established a formal system for rewarding acts of individual gallantry by the nation's fighting men on Aug. 7, 1782. Called the Badge of Military Merit, it was designed to recognize meritorious action and consisted of a purple cloth heart.

That award became the Purple Heart in 1932 under the direction of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

The Badge of Military Merit fell into disuse after the Revolutionary War. In 1847, after the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, a "certificate of merit" was established for any soldier who distinguished himself in action. No medal went with the honor and the award was discontinued after the Mexican-American War.