From the December 21, 2011, Times Battlefield "The Medal of Honor: 150 Years of Valor" by Nate Rawlings.
In 1861, Iowa Senator James Grimes proposed a medal to honor Navy personnel for bravery. Abraham Lincoln signed it into law on December 21, 1861. The next summer, 1862, he signed another bill allowing one for the Army to honor those who "most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action and other soldier-like qualities."
Since the Civil War, some 40 million have served and only 3,500 have received a Medal of Honor (and most of them during the Civil War when criteria was much lower when it was the only medal for valor.
Today, the criteria for a Medal of Honor has changed. Two of them are being given to living military personnel this year.
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