Download or read book Medal of Honor written by Allen Mikaelian and published by Hyperion Books. This book was released on 2002-05-15 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1863, President Lincoln first awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, which was created to boost morale among the Union rank and file. In the decades that followed, the award evolved to take on an almost sacred quality. Today, it remains the highest U.S. military decoration. Of the millions of Americans who have gone into combat in the past century, fewer than 1,300 have earned the Medal of Honor, and many of those were awarded it for actions they did not survive. Their courageous and selfless feats in battle are barely conceivable. They plunged into heavy fire, ventured boldly behind enemy lines, and threw themselves on live grenades. But who are these people?