In 1970, President Richard Nixon awarded the Medal of Honor to then-Lt. Col. Charles C. Rogers, for his courage and leadership in defeating repeated attacks in southern Vietnam. A Defense Department web page honoring Rogers was briefly taken down. U.S. Army hide caption
Medal of Honor
On Friday, President Biden will award the United States' highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, to service members who displayed exceptional valor in combat. Here, the U.S. flag flies at half-staff above the White House following the death of former President Jimmy Carter on Dec. 29. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
President Biden presents the Medal of Honor to Theresa Chandler, the great-great-granddaughter of Pvt. George D. Wilson in the East Room at the White House in Washington, on Wednesday. The medals posthumously honor two U.S. Army privates who were part of a daring Union Army contingent that stole a Confederate train during the Civil War. U.S. Army Pvts. Philip G. Shadrach and George D. Wilson were captured by Confederates and executed by hanging. At left is Gerald Taylor, the great-great-nephew of Pvt. Philip G. Shadrach. Susan Walsh/AP hide caption
President Joe Biden awards the Medal of Honor to Capt. Larry Taylor, an Army pilot from the Vietnam War who risked his life to rescue a reconnaissance team that was about to be overrun by the enemy, during a ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at the White House. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption
Woody Williams assists with the coin toss before Super Bowl 52 in February 2018 in Minneapolis. Williams, the last remaining Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, died Wednesday at 98, at the Veterans Affairs medical center bearing his name in Huntington, W.Va. Tony Gutierrez/AP hide caption
Joann Woodson kneels at the gravesite of her husband, Cpl. Waverly Woodson Jr., at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Linda Hervieux via AP hide caption
Senators Push For Medal Of Honor For Late Black Medic Who Saved Lives At Normandy
Sgt. Charles Kelley was honored with the Distinguished Service Cross in World War I. Courtesy of Kathleen Kelley Rushlow hide caption
President Donald Trump presents the Medal of Honor to retired Army Staff Sgt. David Bellavia in the East Room of the White House on Tuesday. Bellavia received the award for conspicuous gallantry while serving in support of Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption
Retired Army Capt. Gary "Mike" Rose, who served as an Army special forces medic during the Vietnam War, talks to reporters at the Pentagon last week. Monday, Rose received the Medal of Honor. Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Army Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Gendron carries the remains of Army Sgt. Charles Schroeter, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry in an 1869 battle during the Indian Wars. Chris Carlson/AP hide caption
(Left) Sgt. William Shemin distinguished himself with bravery under fire during World War I. (Right) Sgt. Henry Johnson of the 369th Infantry Regiment was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for bravery while outnumbered during a battle with German soldiers, Feb. 12, 1919. Shemin Family Photo/U.S. Army hide caption
Gen. George Pickett Brady-Handy Photograph Collection/Library of Congress hide caption
Vietnam veterans Melvin Morris (center), Jose Rodela (obscured) and Santiago J. Erevia (left) received the Medal of Honor from President Obama at the White House on Thursday. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ty Michael Carter near Dahla Dam, Afghanistan in July 2012. Ho/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
In this copy of a photograph on display at Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School in Wichita, Kan., a wounded soldier is helped by Army chaplain Emil Kapaun (on the soldier's left) during the Korean War. The Kansas native died a prisoner of war in 1951. Mike Hutmacher/MCT/Landov hide caption
Former Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha when he was on duty in Afghanistan. North Dakota National Guard hide caption
Army Specialist Leslie H. Sabo Jr. will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony. army.mil hide caption
President Barack Obama applauds former Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer, 23, on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011, after awarding him the Medal of Honor at the White House. Charles Dharapak/AP hide caption
President Obama presents the Medal of Honor to Marine Corps Sgt. Dakota Meyer. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
At the White House on Wednesday, President Obama and Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer sipped beers and talked. Meyer told CBS News he asked the president for advice on how to be successful. "He said, 'You know, first thing, get an education' and he said 'just take it slow and don't try to make any rash decisions,' " Meyer told CBS. Pete Souza/The White House hide caption