They don’t give that medal to just anyone. This is reserved for those that went far beyond the call of duty. Officers in the military salute enlisted men who have one.
Extremely rare — one of the rarest military honors in U.S. history.
Current Statistics (as of mid-2026)
Total recipients: 3,536 (with 3,555 medals awarded; 19 double recipients).
Living recipients: 65.
In a U.S. population of ~330+ million, the odds of randomly meeting a living recipient are roughly 1 in 5+ million.
Historical Rarity
Over 40 million Americans have served in the U.S. Armed Forces since the Civil War.
Fewer than 4,000 have ever received the Medal of Honor → less than 0.01% of all who have served.
This makes the MOH rarer than many other elite distinctions (e.g., astronauts, billionaires, or certain high-level awards).
By Conflict (Highlights)
The award was far more common in the Civil War (when standards were looser and ~1,523 were given). It became much rarer in modern eras:
Civil War: ~1,522–1,525
World War II: ~472
Vietnam War: 270 (exact varies by source, but part of the post-WWII total)
Iraq/Afghanistan/Global War on Terror: Only ~28 total (11 posthumous) across two decades of conflict.
In recent conflicts, the award rate has been described as roughly 1 in a million deployed personnel in some analyses.
Other Context
About 18–19% of awards are posthumous overall (~618).
The vast majority of living recipients earned theirs in Vietnam or earlier; very few from recent wars.
Standards tightened significantly after the Civil War and again in 1918, making it harder to earn.
In short, the Medal of Honor is the highest U.S. military decoration for valor, and its extreme rarity reflects that it is reserved for actions that are truly "above and beyond the call of duty."
Has MOH ever been revoked/retracted?
Yes, Medals of Honor have been retracted (also called revoked or rescinded).
Major Historical Retraction
In 1916–1917, Congress authorized a review board to examine all previous Army Medals of Honor (about 2,625 at the time) to ensure they met stricter standards for valor. The board rescinded 911 awards.
Key reasons for these revocations:
Many were awarded for non-combat actions or administrative reasons rather than gallantry in combat.
Large groups included:
864 medals to members of the 27th Maine Infantry Regiment (due to record-keeping errors around who actually extended their enlistment during the Civil War).
Medals to President Lincoln’s funeral guard.
Awards to civilians (the Medal was legally restricted to military personnel).
This event is sometimes called the "Purge of 1917." A small number of Navy medals were also revoked in earlier reviews.
Restorations
Six of the rescinded awards were later reinstated by the Army (mostly in the 1980s), including:
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (the only woman to receive the MOH; hers was rescinded in 1917 and restored in 1977).
Others like Buffalo Bill Cody and several civilian scouts.
Since Then
No large-scale revocations have occurred since the 1917 review, and no combat valor Medals of Honor from later wars have been permanently revoked. Proposals to revoke awards (e.g., for the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre) have been discussed but not acted upon.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society confirms this history on its official site. Retractions are rare and typically require congressional or high-level military review.
They don’t give that medal to just anyone. This is reserved for those that went far beyond the call of duty. Officers in the military salute enlisted men who have one.
How rare is MOH:
Extremely rare — one of the rarest military honors in U.S. history.
Current Statistics (as of mid-2026)
Historical Rarity
This makes the MOH rarer than many other elite distinctions (e.g., astronauts, billionaires, or certain high-level awards).
By Conflict (Highlights)
The award was far more common in the Civil War (when standards were looser and ~1,523 were given). It became much rarer in modern eras:
In recent conflicts, the award rate has been described as roughly 1 in a million deployed personnel in some analyses.
Other Context
In short, the Medal of Honor is the highest U.S. military decoration for valor, and its extreme rarity reflects that it is reserved for actions that are truly "above and beyond the call of duty."
Has MOH ever been revoked/retracted?
Yes, Medals of Honor have been retracted (also called revoked or rescinded).
Major Historical Retraction
In 1916–1917, Congress authorized a review board to examine all previous Army Medals of Honor (about 2,625 at the time) to ensure they met stricter standards for valor. The board rescinded 911 awards.
Key reasons for these revocations:
This event is sometimes called the "Purge of 1917." A small number of Navy medals were also revoked in earlier reviews.
Restorations
Six of the rescinded awards were later reinstated by the Army (mostly in the 1980s), including:
Since Then
No large-scale revocations have occurred since the 1917 review, and no combat valor Medals of Honor from later wars have been permanently revoked. Proposals to revoke awards (e.g., for the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre) have been discussed but not acted upon.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society confirms this history on its official site. Retractions are rare and typically require congressional or high-level military review.
Impressive.
I watched the whole ceremony yesterday. Very moving. Very touching.