World War I Medal of Honor Recipients
The Medal of Honor, authorized by Act of Congress in March of 1863, is given to a member of the armed forces for gallantry and bravery in combat at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. 126 Medals of Honor were awarded to 121 United States soldiers for actions performed during World War I. Of those recipients, 34 of whom received the Medal posthumously, 92 served in the Army, 21 served in the Navy, and eight served in the Marine Corps.
In addition, Congress awarded six Medals of Honor to unknown, unidentified soldiers of Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, Rumania, and the United States to pay tribute to each country’s unknown dead.
At the time, Army and Army Air Service soldiers received the Army Medal of Honor and Navy and Marine Corps soldiers received the Navy Medal of Honor. Despite this distinction, five Marines received both the Army Medal and the Navy Medal for actions performed while their Marine units were under Army command. To prevent future double recipients, Congress amended the criteria for receiving the Medal of Honor in 1919 to limit soldiers to one Medal.
Congress authorized the Medal of Honor to three deceased World War I veterans over 70 years after their service. Freddie Stowers received the Medal of Honor in 1991 and Henry Johnson and William Shemin received the Medal of Honor in 2015.
