National Medal of Honor Day is on Thursday, March 25, 2027, and it falls on March 25 every year. It honors recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award for valor. Congress created the day in 1990 to build public appreciation for them.
When Is National Medal of Honor Day?
It’s always March 25, the anniversary of the first Medals of Honor in 1863. It’s a national observance, not a federal holiday, so offices and schools stay open.
Why Is It on March 25?
On March 25, 1863, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton presented the first Medals of Honor, the Association of the United States Army notes. He gave them to six members of a daring Civil War raid deep in Confederate territory.
The raiders had stolen a train and torn up the track behind them as they headed north. Their goal was to cut off reinforcements during an attempt to capture Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The first recipient
Private Jacob Parrott of the 33rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry was the first person to receive it. He was one of the six raiders Stanton honored that day.
What Is the Purpose of the Day?
To recognize the service members whose courage earned the nation’s top award, and to share their stories. Many recipients received it posthumously.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society lists 3,555 Medals of Honor awarded. Nineteen people received it twice.
The bar is high. The medal recognizes “gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty,” the Society notes.
Recommendations need at least two sworn eyewitness statements and must be submitted within three years of the act. They travel up the chain of command, ending with the President. The current criteria were set in 1963.
How to Observe National Medal of Honor Day
- Read one citation: look up a recipient from your state and read their official citation aloud with family or students.
- Visit the museum: plan a trip to the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, or explore its stories online.
- Fly the flag: display the U.S. flag at home or work.
- Find a local memorial: many towns have plaques or parks named for local recipients.
- Thank a veteran: write a card to a local VA hospital or veterans’ home.
- Teach the raid story: show students a map of the 1862 raid route from Georgia toward Chattanooga.
The Only Woman to Receive It
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a Civil War surgeon, is the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor. She was captured by Confederate forces in 1864 and held as a prisoner for about four months.
President Andrew Johnson awarded her the medal in November 1865. It was rescinded in 1917, along with 910 others, but she refused to return it. President Jimmy Carter restored it in 1977, the U.S. Army notes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it called the “Congressional” Medal of Honor?
Its official name is the Medal of Honor. People often add “Congressional,” and the recipients’ own organization is the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
When did the National Medal of Honor Museum open?
On March 25, 2025, in Arlington, Texas, exactly 162 years after the first awards. It has 31,000 square feet of galleries.
How many people have received the Medal of Honor twice?
Nineteen, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Any medal recommended more than three years after the act requires an Act of Congress.