By 1897 there were new standards for receiving the medal, requiring eye-witness testimony.
Shortly before World War I, General Nelson Miles, a Civil War recipient, had an inquiry into the 2,600 given to date. And, 910 were rescinded.
Entering World War I, only "action beyond the call of duty" would be the criteria for one. Congress then created the Distinguished Service Cross and the Navy Cross for acts of courage not justifying a Medal of Honor (MoH).
In World War I, America got its first genuine celebrity MoH winner and that would be one Alvin York, a conscientious objector from rural Tennessee.
Sgt. York, a corporal at the time, took out 35 German machine gun nests, then killed six enemy soldiers with his pistol. Then he and trhe seven surviving members of his unit captured 132 prisoners.
World War II Up Next. --DaCoot
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