When a soldier, sailor, marine or an airman commits a heroic act they may be submitted by others to receive the Medal of Honor. The acts I am speaking of are usually ones where the recipient engaged in a life-threatening act.

It could be that they put themselves in grave peril to save others or they, against overwhelming odds, achieved victory. This could be in many forms such as the taking of an impossible objective, escaping capture by enemy forces, or by doing nearly impossible actions to spare the lives of their battle buddies.

The award is made through an act of congress but is placed upon the recipient by the President of the United States during a special ceremony. These awards have been given to courageous individuals since the civil war. In 1863 the first medal was placed upon Private Jacob Parrot. Private Parrot was a member of a band of Guerrilla soldiers called Andrews Raiders.He was instrumental in the hijacking of a confederate train stolen behind enemy lines.

During the operation that saw the destruction of railroad tracks, bridges and tunnels, Parrot was captured and tortured to gain locations of his company in hiding. He refused to surrender any information. For his bravery and loyalty to the union he was given the very first Medal of Honor.

There are three different forms of the Medal of Honor. The originals were the Army and Navy versions both minted in 1861 and 1862 respectively and the Airforce version was adopted in 1965.

Each of the Medals of Honor were specific to the department in which that branch fell under, so the Marine Corps utilizes awards from the Department of the Navy. Coast Guardsmen were not subject to the Medal of Honor since they fell under the Department of Transportation in the early years and are now a branch under the Department of Homeland Security. Although they are a branch considered within the armed forces of the United States, they are not considered a wartime entity. This is possibly subject to change.

Each Medal of Honor is a very beautiful award, with a light sky-blue background and a patch of stars facing front and centered over the medallion, which is a heavy gold piece with specific engraving for each military department. On Dress Uniforms it is worn as the full medal that is around the neck of the recipient with the medallion centered between the jacket lapels in full view. Or it is worn on the left breast as either a smaller medal or just a ribbon that sits in a prominent position higher than any other ribbon in the recipient’s stack. The Medal of Honor is made and distributed exclusively for the United States government and there are no replicas sold by any company in the United States. The public display of a MOH, by any other person besides the original recipient is a direct violation of military regulation and law. And in some states, it is considered a crime under the stolen valor clause.

It is interesting to note that all military personnel in or out of uniform will by regulation salute the recipient of a Medal of Honor regardless of rank. This is done to uphold the respect for the medal itself and acknowledging the sacrifice or commitment made in deserving its award. Those who wear this medal are truly brave, unselfish individuals. It doesn’t surprise me why they are so uniformly respected by the military community. It also doesn’t surprise me how silent and humble they are about having earned such praise.

Many recipients, after leaving the military, fall back into modest life never telling of their courage or bravery. To them they were merely doing what they had to do. These people don’t seek out recognition or free dinners or discounts, they just are happy to be alive and so are those who served with them. But the truth is these MOH holders are the hero’s hero.

I felt this information was worth sharing about those who have been given this rare award. The recipients have been almost exclusively men from combat related testimony, but only one-woman Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, has ever received this medal. She was a surgeon in the Union Army during the Civil War.

There are several Medal of Honor recipients buried in Chautauqua County and some interred elsewhere but were natives of our corner of the state. Eleven in total according to the Fenton Historical Museum in Jamestown. The closest, most recent recipient still living is Staff Sergeant David Bellavia who resides in Batavia. He received his award for saving the lives of multiple platoon mates during urban combat in Iraq.

Another piece of trivia attached to this topic is that medals bestowed are always referred to as recipients and never called winners. These medals were not sought and they were not won. These awards were earned, sometimes at great personal cost.

With comparison to the total count of service members who serve or have served in our armed forces, the number of MOH recipients can be listed as few. Such information makes it even more special that our country has recognized these great Americans. And so do we.

Kirk L. Miller commander of the Chautauqua County American Legion, 8th District Department of New York, 2023-24.