Valor Friday

After Charlie Kirk’s assassination this week, President Trump announced that he will be posthumously awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I’ve briefly talked about this award in the past, but wanted to delve a bit deeper in this week’s piece.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is one of the highest honors of the American government. Most of us veterans are aware of the Medal of Honor, which is unquestioningly the highest award of the US Government. That medal can only be earned my members of the American military and only for actions in actual combat with the enemy (prior to the end of World War II, these criteria were different at times). It is awarded by the President of the United States in the named of Congress, thus it is sometimes referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor, even those Congress has nothing to do with all but a few awards.

With the MoH being our highest award, there’s a multi-way tie for the next highest honors. Both the Executive Branch (to say the President and all those under him) and the Legislative Branch (to say the Congress and all those under them) also award honors. While it should be noted that the US military is under the Executive Branch, military awards have strict criteria. The country’s other top honors have little criteria other than at the whim of the awarding authority.

Congress has historically had a few awards. Thanks of Congress was essentially a resolution from both houses to prominent figures for service to the country. Many were to military officers (and also extended to those men under their command). Recipients included George Washington, all participants of the Battle of Tippecanoe, Oliver Hazard Perry, Andrew Jackson, Civil War generals Grant, Burnside, Sherman, Sheridan, and Civil War admirals Farragut and David Dixon Porter (twice).

This award has fallen by the wayside, with the last people to receive the Thanks of Congress being General of the Army Douglas MacArthur in 1962 and General of the Armies John Pershing in 1919.

The Thanks of Congress was often awarded with a special gold or silver medallion to commemorate the award. It is that medal that is still awarded today (with increasing frequency) as the highest honor bestowed by the Legislative Branch, the Congressional Gold Medal (and the lesser, and infrequently used Silver Medal and Bronze Medal).

The Congressional Medals are not strictly military awards, but they too have been received by a lot of men in uniform. It’s an award for spectacular achievement, and requires assent of both houses of Congress for award. Lieutenant General Winfield Scott received it twice (War of 1812 and Mexican-American War), and Major General (later President) Zachary Taylor received it thrice (a record, and all three for Mexican-American War service). It became a more civil award in the 20th Century (and continues as such) with awards given to science pioneers (such as Edison, Howard Hughes, Jonas Salk, Robert Goddard), explorers (Lindbergh, Byrd, the crew of Apollo 11), and other prominent people (as varied as Irving Berlin, Lady Bird Johnson, Bob Hope, Walt Disney, the entire 1980 US Summer Olympics team, Mother [now Saint] Theresa, and Nelson Mandela).

If the MoH is our government’s unquestioned highest award, then the Thanks of Congress would be the next highest, with the Congressional Gold Medal ranking equal to it. A Congressional Silver or Bronze Medal would rank below those. Still with me?

After World War II, President Truman created the Medal of Freedom, to honor civilians, allies, and organizations that assisted with the greatest war effort in human history. That medal was awarded from 1947 until 1962. It could be awarded as the medal itself or with a gold, silver, or bronze palm. While not spelled out, the palms are seen as increasingly higher levels within the honor. It was created specifically to be a non-military award, but to have similar prestige to one. Being a civilian was the only requirement to receive it. This included allies, such as Nancy Wake. More than 20,000 were ultimately awarded. It could be awarded by one of three cabinet secretaries.

In 1963, President Kennedy created the Presidential Medal of Freedom to replace the earlier Medal of Freedom as the top level award of the Executive Branch. This was likely done for three reasons. First, it separated future awards from the WWII-era honor. Second, it allowed the new medal to become its own prestigious honor with its own pomp and circumstance. Thirdly, it became the supreme award of the Executive Branch, and is to be awarded solely by the President.

Unfortunately, while Kennedy selected the first group of recipients, he was killed before he could make the award. Thus Johnson was the first President to make awards, in Kennedy’s place.

The Medal of Freedom is awarded in two grades; either as just the Medal of Freedom, or “with Distinction.” It can be awarded posthumously (Kennedy himself was one of the first posthumous recipients when LBJ awarded it to him), and can be awarded more than once.

Politicians, civil servants, media figures, scientists, military leaders, and any person of note can receive the award at the discretion of the President. As of 2024, 672 awards have been made, with 55 having been made with distinction (8% of total awards).

Ellsworth Bunker (businessman and diplomat) and Colin Powell (military officer and diplomat) are the only two people to have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice. In Bunker’s case both were with distinction, while Powell received only his second award with distinction.

Other well-known recipients are eight Presidents (Kennedy, LBJ, Carter, Ford, Reagan, H.W. Bush, Clinton, and Biden), three popes (John XXIII, John Paul II, and Francis), the crews of Apollo 11 and 13, seven Supreme Court Justices, five Vice Presidents, and more people in the entertainment industry than I care to list.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom ranks behind the Medal of Honor, but equal to the Congressional Gold Medal. Kirk is receiving one of the highest awards of the American government, and the foremost award made by the Executive Branch. It’s too bad he died while earning it.

 

Category: Historical, Valor, We Remember