Nicholson Notes More Than 140 Years of “Supreme Courage”
WASHINGTON – In a salute to the nation’s 114 living Medal of Honor recipients, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary R. James Nicholson Saturday offered his praise to those veterans who have received the award.
“As we observe National Medal of Honor Day, it’s important that we, as a nation, reflect on the supreme courage demonstrated by those rare individuals in whom duty and honor are so deeply engrained,” said Nicholson.
Nearly 3,500 Americans have received the nation’s highest military honor, first awarded by President Abraham Lincoln to Union troops during the Civil War. The Navy and Army provided medals for valor in 1861 and 1862, but it was not until the following year that Congress authorized the Medal of Honor as a permanent military decoration.
“There is no singular group of Americans more honored,” said Nicholson. “Whenever one is recognized at an event, the people there stand and applaud.”
VA provides federal benefits specifically for Medal of Honor recipients, including a monthly stipend indexed to the annual rate of inflation.
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