# Medal of Honor awardee question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 17, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515 "2007-09-17T18:05:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/1 "2007-09-17T18:05:47Z")
Is there another Medal of Honor winner besides John Basilone who returned to combat and was later killed in another battle? For purposes of this question I would say only “modern” awardees, WWI and later. Pre-WWI the medal was treated a bit differently, some awardees even received it for noncombat actions. From that era one name pops up in my head, Thomas Custer. Custer was a two time awardee in the Civil War and died with his brother at Little Big Horn. I’m sure there were others. But as I stated that is not the question. WWI and later only. I can’t think of any others. For those who don’t know John Basilone was a MOH winner at Guadacanal. He came home on to do war bond tours but demanded to be sent back. He was killed at Iwo Jima during the first day of the battle. He was awarded the Navy Cross for that action and many think he should have been awarded a second MOH. His name has been in the newspapers in New Jersey lately because of the new Hanks/Speilberg miniseries being filmed now called _The Pacific_. Basilone will be one of the main characters. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/2 "2007-09-18T03:31:25Z")
I have, so far, found four: [Neel E. Kearby](http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/KK/fkevv.html), who received his Medal of Honor for action in October of 1943, and died in combat five months later, [Edward O’Hare](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_O%27Hare), who received his for action in February of 1942, and died in action in November of 1943, [Keith L. Ware](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_L._Ware), who won the Medal of Honor for action in December of 1944, and who died in Vietnam in September of 1968, and [Cassin Young](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassin_Young), who won his Medal of Honor for Pearl Harbor and died at Guadalcanal. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/3 "2007-09-18T13:13:38Z")
A slight hijack here: has anyone ever earned the MOH twice? I looked through the list but didn’t see anyone repeated. There were two listings for Roberts S. Scott, but they were two different guys. Again, this is for WWI and since. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/4 "2007-09-18T13:54:15Z")
Smedley Butler for one. Believe there’s at least one other whom I can’t recall now. Look up Smedley Butler’s War Is A Racket for an interesting read. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/5 "2007-09-18T14:16:23Z")
According to Wiki 19 people have received the MoH twice ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/6 "2007-09-18T14:24:47Z")
[QUOTE=Hypno-Toad] A slight hijack here: has anyone ever earned the MOH twice? I looked through the list but didn’t see anyone repeated. There were two listings for Roberts S. Scott, but they were two different guys. Again, this is for WWI and since. [/QUOTE] The Wikipedia article on Smedley Butler describes him as “one of only 19 people to win the MOH twice.” Take with usual wikipedia grain of salt. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/7 "2007-09-19T00:17:56Z")
[QUOTE=Hypno-Toad] A slight hijack here: has anyone ever earned the MOH twice? I looked through the list but didn’t see anyone repeated. There were two listings for Roberts S. Scott, but they were two different guys. Again, this is for WWI and since. [/QUOTE] Here is a [list](http://www.cmohs.org/recipients/double.htm) of the double recipients. As I mentioned in my OP Thomas Custer, George Armstrong Custer’s brother was awarded the medal twice for two separate incidents during the civil war. He died with his brother at Little Big Horn. One weird thing about the list. The last 5 double awardees are all Marines from WWI they were awarded two medals for the same action, the Army version and the Marine version. I guess because they were Marines under overall Army command. Such a thing can’t happen today. One per customer. And it has gotten a lot harder to win one. Like I said in the OP many think that Basilone should have received two but instead was awarded the Navy Cross. He was the only Marine in WWII to get both. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/8 "2007-09-19T07:05:29Z")
[QUOTE=Governor Quinn] I have, so far, found four: [Neel E. Kearby](http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/KK/fkevv.html), who received his Medal of Honor for action in October of 1943, and died in combat five months later, [Edward O’Hare](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_O%27Hare), who received his for action in February of 1942, and died in action in November of 1943, [Keith L. Ware](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_L._Ware), who won the Medal of Honor for action in December of 1944, and who died in Vietnam in September of 1968, and [Cassin Young](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassin_Young), who won his Medal of Honor for Pearl Harbor and died at Guadalcanal. [/QUOTE] I am curious- did they actually get the Medal and then return to combat? Or was it awarded postumously but not for an action where the awardee died, if you get my drift? (It can take quite a bit of time for the MoH to go from action to being pinned.) ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/9 "2007-09-19T11:49:08Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] I am curious- did they actually get the Medal and then return to combat? Or was it awarded postumously but not for an action where the awardee died, if you get my drift? (It can take quite a bit of time for the MoH to go from action to being pinned.) [/QUOTE] I had previously looked at the links to check this very thing, and it appears that they all actually were awarded and presented the Medal prior to their fatal actions. From the links: **Kearby** : “It was for this mission that he was awarded the Medal of Honor, presented in a special ceremony by Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Kearby was transferred to a staff job but requested and received permission to continue flying combat missions. He had just claimed his twenty-second victory, when he was shot down on March 4, 1944.” **O’Hare** : “With President Franklin D. Roosevelt looking on, O’Hare’s wife Rita placed the Medal around his neck. . . . O’Hare was not employed on combat duty from early 1942 until late 1943. . . . As O’Hare went missing on November 26, 1943, and was declared dead a year later, his widow Rita received her husband’s posthumous decorations, a Purple Heart and the Navy Cross on November 26, 1944.” **Ware** : “For his action in this engagement, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in April 1945. . . . heavy anti-aircraft fire brought the helicopter down on September 13 [1968], along with Ware, his three command staff, and the four helicopter crew. There were no survivors; Ware became the fourth American general officer (and the first Army general officer) to die in combat in the Vietnam War. Ware was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for this action in October 1968.” **Young** : “His heroism was recognized with the Medal of Honor. . . . On 13 November 1942, during the latter battle, he guided his ship in action with a superior Japanese force and was killed by enemy shells while closely engaging the battleship Hiei. Captain Young was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the campaign and San Francisco received the Presidential Unit Citation.” ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/10 "2007-09-19T20:15:40Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] Such a thing can’t happen today. One per customer. [/QUOTE] Indeed. By design or circumstance, it has become an award that is only given posthumously since the end of the Viet Nam war. [Here](http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/somalia.html) are the citations for Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon (Somalia) and [here](http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/iraq.html) are the citations for Jason Dunham and Paul Smith (Iraq). ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/11 "2007-09-19T20:18:20Z")
And this is a personal thing for me, that I probably get way too worked up over, but here goes… Chances are that you will never, ever, see a man wearing the Congressional Medal of Honor. But just in case, you should be [familiar](http://www.army.mil/cmh/moh.html) with it, so if you do recognize it, you can approach that man and thank him humbly for his service to the men next to him. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/12 "2007-09-19T22:06:27Z")
109 MOH recipients are still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/13 "2007-09-21T01:03:40Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl] Indeed. By design or circumstance, it has become an award that is only given posthumously since the end of the Viet Nam war. [Here](http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/somalia.html) are the citations for Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon (Somalia) and [here](http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/iraq.html) are the citations for Jason Dunham and Paul Smith (Iraq). [/QUOTE] Yes but several (I think maybe 39) have been awarded since then for actions which happened in the past. [Bruce Crandall](http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/crandall/citation/index.html) is the most recent I believe. He was played by Greg Kinnear in the movie _We Were Soldiers_. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross originally. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/14 "2007-09-21T01:37:56Z")
You are correct. On one website I saw, I noticed that a number of WWII vets had their MOH presented by Bill Clinton. :eek: Better late than never, I suppose, but jeez… I guess I should have said “earned since the Viet Nam war.” ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/15 "2007-09-21T03:59:48Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl] And this is a personal thing for me, that I probably get way too worked up over, but here goes… Chances are that you will never, ever, see a man wearing the Congressional Medal of Honor. But just in case, you should be [familiar](http://www.army.mil/cmh/moh.html) with it, so if you do recognize it, you can approach that man and thank him humbly for his service to the men next to him. [/QUOTE] Be aware that each service issues a medal that, while similar, is not the same, so should you come across a MOH winner and it doesn’t look like the one linked to, don’t just come out and call shenanigans. Also, it is simply the Medal of Honor, not the Congressional Medal of Honor. It’s a common mistake that lots of people make, [including the men who have earned one](http://www.cmohs.org/medal.htm). I suppose it’s not that big a deal, but it does have a precise title, and given the nature of the award I would think it appropriate to get it correct. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medal-of-honor-awardee-question/419515/16 "2007-09-21T04:15:43Z")
The Medal of Honor is presented by the President but is awarded by Congress. The form of the Medal is dependent on the service to which the awardee belonged at the time.