Army Rack builder Award
The men and women that serve our country in the armed forces display bravery everyday. It does not mean that these men and women are without fear; it means that despite their fear they fight on for all our freedom. In recognition of this selfless act, the Army and other armed forces decorate the service members with medals and ribbons to celebrate their bravery.
The highest bravery medal that the Army gives is Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is also called the Congressional Medal of Honor because the President awards the medal on the behalf of Congress.
In 1861, the medal was first awarded to brave Sailors and Marines. Later, the award was bestowed upon brave Soldiers who displayed above average bravery. In that nearly one hundred and fifty year history, only 3400 service members and a few civilians have received this award.
The second highest medal for bravery is the Distinguished Service Cross. This medal has been awarded to 13, 446 service members since April 6, 1917.
The third highest prestigious award for bravery in combat is the Silver Star. Some of the most notable recipients of this award were:
• Lt. Col. Oliver North
• Sen. John Kerry
• Sen. John McCain
• General George Patton
• General Douglas MacArthur
• Army Ranger Pat Tillman
The fourth highest Medal of Honor is the Bronze Star. Like all medals and ribbons, they were first awarded to promote morale and award bravery. This award was conceived by Col. Russell Reed in 1943 as a ground equivalent to the Air Force’s Air Medal of the same era. He also proposed that the medal be called a Ground Medal. This medal was later authorized by President Roosevelt, and then amended by President Kennedy to include friendly forces.
The award that is the most prestigious in my opinion is that of the Purple Heart because it is given not only to a brave service member, but to a service member who has shown the un-measurable bravery by giving or sacrificing a limb, a body part, or even death in a hostile act of war.
Acts of bravery have takes on many forms since this nation began, and those same acts of bravery are what keep making this nation great.