How do they decide who gets the Medal of Honor?

I've been reading some books on the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and some of the acts, which in my opinion deserve the Medal of Honor, go unnoticed, while, historically, some, in my civililian eyes, lesser acts of bravery, get the highest medal. I know that sounds really disrespectful, but I am completely pro-military and am not trying to sound like I disrespect our troops.How do they decide who gets the Medal of Honor?
The following is from the Department of Defense Manual of Military Decorations %26amp; Awards:



Procedures Involving Recommendations for the Medal of Honor



"1. The Secretary concerned shall establish procedures for processing recommendations for the award of the Medal of Honor within his or her Department. However, as a minimum, these recommendations shall contain the endorsement of the subordinate Unified Commander or Joint Task Force Commander, if involved; the Unified or Specified Commander concerned; and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After endorsement by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the recommendation shall be referred to the Secretary concerned for appropriate action.



"2. Recommendations for the Army and Air Force Medal of Honor must be entered formally into official channels within 2 years of the act warranting the recommendation, and awarded within 3 years. Recommendations of the Navy-Marine Corps Medal of Honor, must be formally entered into official channels within 3 years of the act warranting the recommendation, and awarded within 5 years.



"3. The information forming the basis must have been previously unknown and not considered by the recommending and disapproving officials. The determination of the existence of the new material and substantive information being a basis for reconsideration may not be delegated below the Service Secretary.



"a. The remaining bases for reconsideration are instances in which a Service Secretary or the Secretary of Defense determines there is evidence of material error or impropriety in the original processing of or decision on a recommendation for award of the Medal of Honor. Examples of such instances might be loss of accompanying and/or substantiating documents to the recommendation or proven racial or gender discrimination. Determination of the existence of material error or impropriety in the original processing and decision shall not be delegated below the Service Secretary. In such cases, the Secretary of Defense shall determine the need for legislation.



"b. All other instances of reconsideration shall be limited to those in which the formal recommendation was submitted within statutory time limits, the recommendation was lost or inadvertently not acted upon, and when these facts are conclusively established by the respective Service Secretary or other official delegated appropriate authority. These provisions are to protect the integrity and purity of purpose of the Medal of Honor by ensuring that all relevant information is submitted and considered while the actions are fresh in the minds of the witnesses."



On a few, rare occasions, the Congress of the United States has awarded special Medals of Honor for individual exploits taking place in peacetime. Such a Medal of Honor was awarded Capt. Charles A. Lindbergh for his "heroic courage and skill as a navigator, at the risk of his life, for his nonstop flight in his airplane from New York to Paris, France, 20-21 May 1927." In peace or war, this medal is the highest decoration which can be given in any of the Armed Forces--Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard.



It all boils down to attestations, first/third hand accounts, substantiating documents, character judgement, cold hard facts, and proof.
you are recommended by your chain of command, an investigation is started, and if the investigating officer finds that you indeed earned it, he will submit his report to his commanding officer whom will forward the request to Congress %26amp; The President of the United States.


the poster that stated:

"The biggest thing is, you have to be put in for it. If you never get put in for it, it does not matter how brave your act was, it will go unnoticed. If your chain of command agrees then they will initiate an investigation. Its results are forwarded to Congress who makes the final decision on if it is awarded or not. Hence why it is often erroneously referred to as the CMOH.

Often times commanders will send up a Silver Star or DSC instead of a MoH as they are more likely to be approved so the service member at least gets some recognition rather than possibly none"

You are incorrect. Medals can be downgraded from the recommended medal.How do they decide who gets the Medal of Honor?
The biggest thing is, you have to be put in for it. If you never get put in for it, it does not matter how brave your act was, it will go unnoticed. If your chain of command agrees then they will initiate an investigation. Its results are forwarded to Congress who makes the final decision on if it is awarded or not. Hence why it is often erroneously referred to as the CMOH.



Often times commanders will send up a Silver Star or DSC instead of a MoH as they are more likely to be approved so the service member at least gets some recognition rather than possibly none.
It's interesting to note how much more WW ll veterans accomplished to achieve a MOH than veterans in later wars, especially Viet-Nam and the Middle East.

Of course it was easier to pile up the enemy body count when they wore uniforms and came at you in waves instead of sniping at you from cover and then hiding among the civilians.

A great number of the awards went to soldiers in the later wars for one act - jumping upon a grenade to shield his buddies.How do they decide who gets the Medal of Honor?
A lot of it is politics.