Congressional Gold Medal of Honor
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The Congressional Gold Medal of Honor is the highest award which may be bestowed by the Legislative Branch of the United States government. The decoration, commonly referred to simply as the Congressional Medal of Honor, or Congressional Gold Medal, is awarded to any individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States of America. The recipient need not be an American citizen.
The Congressional Gold Medal of Honor is considered the United States Congress equivalent to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Both decorations are generally considered to hold the same degree of prestige (though significantly fewer Gold Medals have been awarded), with the difference being that the Freedom Medal is personally awarded by the President of the United States and the Congressional Gold Medal is awarded in the name of the U.S. Congress.
Legislation bestowing the Congressional Medal of Honor to a recipient must be co-sponsored by two thirds of the membership of both the House of Representatives and the Senate before their respective committees will consider it.
The Congressional Gold Medal of Honor is created by the United States Mint to specifically commemorate the person and achievement for which the medal is awarded. Each medal is therefore different in appearance and there is no standard design for the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. The Congressional Gold Medal of Honor is also considered "non-portable", meaning that the medal is not meant to be worn on a uniform or other clothing, but rather displayed much like a trophy.
The Congressional Gold Medal of Honor is a completely separate decoration from the Medal of Honor which is a military award for extreme bravery in action. Another similarly named decoration is the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, presented by NASA for extreme accomplishment to the mission of United States space exploration.
See also: Recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor
External links
- [List of recipients]
- [Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Congressional Gold Medals]
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