The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the most prestigious military decoration awarded by the US government to members of the armed forces. It is awarded by the President on behalf of Congress to honour acts of bravery on the battlefield. Over the years, some 3,518 Medals of Honour have been awarded to soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen. As America remembers its fallen this Memorial Day, it's important to remember that since the beginning of American involvement in World War II, more than half of all Medals of Honour have been awarded posthumously.
Since 9/11, 19 American soldiers have received the Medal of Honour. All four medals were awarded posthumously in the Iraq war 15 Americans received it for their service in Afghanistan. Of these 15, three were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honour. The former Navy SEAL Britt Slabinski is the most recent recipient. The second living SEAL since the Vietnam War, Slabinski received the Medal of Honour from President Trump last Thursday for attempting to rescue a teammate who was thrown from a helicopter in Afghanistan in 2002.
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