Charles Liteky is the only Medal of Honor recipient to return the medal. He saved 20 wounded soldiers, while he was an unarmed chaplain, during intense enemy fire, in 1967. He ultimately chose to return the honor in 1986, as protest of US policies in Central America.
medal of honor recipients
Desmond Doss, a WWII medic, was teased…
Desmond Doss, a WWII medic, was teased for his choice to not harm the enemy or wield a weapon. He would go on to win the Medal of Honor for saving more than 50 men after a mortar attack, and the heroics were made into the award winning movie “Hacksaw Ridge”.
WWII fighter pilot James Howard won the medal of honor for single…
WWII fighter pilot James Howard received the medal of honor for single handedly taking on 30+ German fighter planes all by himself to protect a group of American bomber planes.
Captain Richard Antrim was captured in 1942 & held as a POW…
Captain Richard Antrim was captured in 1942 & held as a POW. During this time, he impressed with his engineering skills & helped the Japanese arrange trenches. From the air, the trenches spelled out “US”, warning bombers not to attack and that it was a POW camp, saving hundreds of lives.
3 years after illegally joining the Marines at the…
3 years after illegally joining the Marines at the age of 14, Jacklyn Lucas snuck onto a ship bound for Iwo Jima, stormed the beach without a rifle, and threw himself on top of two grenades to protect his team. He survived, and earned the Medal of Honor at the age of 17.
Former Senator Daniel Inouye had his arm blown off in combat…
Former Senator Daniel Inouye had his arm blown off in combat while throwing a grenade. He yelled to stay back, snatched the live grenade out of his blown off hand, then used it and a Thompson sub-machinegun to mow down the remaining Germans. He wasn’t awarded the Medal of Honor until the year 2000.
Korean War soldier Eduardo C Gomez took out an enemy tank by crawling across an open…
Korean War soldier Eduardo C Gomez took out an enemy tank by crawling across an open rice field, got up on top of the tank, and then pried open the hatch and dropped a live grenade into the tank, killing the tank’s crew.
3 years after illegally joining the Marines at the age of 14…
3 years after illegally joining the Marines at the age of 14, Jacklyn Lucas snuck onto a ship bound for Iwo Jima, stormed the beach without a rifle, and threw himself on top of two grenades to protect his team. He survived, and earned the Medal of Honor at the age of 17.
During World War II, a U.S. soldier was ambushed by 5 Japanese tanks…
During World War II, a U.S. soldier was ambushed by 5 Japanese tanks. He single-handedly destroyed all 5 and was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor.
He left his covered position, and with a rocket launcher and 6 rounds of ammunition, advanced alone under intense machine gun and 37-mm. fire. Loading single-handedly, he destroyed the first tank, killing its occupants with a single round. As the crew of the second tank started to dismount and attack him, he killed 1 of the foe with his pistol, forcing the survivors to return to their vehicle, which he then destroyed with a second round. Three more hostile tanks moved up the road, so he flanked the first and eliminated it, and then, despite a hail of enemy fire, pressed forward again to destroy another. With his last round of ammunition he struck the remaining vehicle, causing it to crash down a steep embankment. Through his sustained heroism in the face of superior forces, Pfc. Vlug alone destroyed 5 enemy tanks and greatly facilitated successful accomplishment of his battalion’s mission.
Teddy Roosevelt’s son, Ted, was awarde …
Teddy Roosevelt’s son, Ted, was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading the first wave of US Soldiers attacking Utah Beach on D-Day. He volunteered for the assignment and had to walk with a cane due to WWI injuries and a heart condition. He was the oldest man in the first wave at age 56.