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13 incredible stories of American servicemen who were awarded the Medal of Honor — the military's highest honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest and most prestigious award that can be given to American servicemen for distinguished service in the field of battle.

Since it was first given in 1863, the medal has been awarded only

Today, the medal is given to any soldier who has distinguished themselves

Jacob Parrott, Civil War

Private Jacob Parrot was the first person ever to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Parrot, along with six other Union soldiers, we awarded for their actions during the Great Locomotive Chase, also known as Andrews' Raid, during the Civil War.

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The raid saw Union volunteers sneak behind enemy lines to Atlanta, steal a train, and ride up North to Chattanooga. Along the way, they cut telegraph lines, destroyed railroad tracks, and attempted to burn bridges.

The objective was to cut off Confederate-held Chattanooga from reinforcements as the Union Army would attack the city.

The raid ended in failure — some of the raiders were captured and executed, most of the damage was repaired quickly, and Union army postponed their attack on Chattanooga.

Despite the failure, the raiders who survived were hailed as heroes.

William Harvey Carney, Civil War

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William Harvey Carney was the first African-American awarded the Medal of Honor. He was born a slave in Virginia, but eventually made his way to freedom in Massachusetts.

When the Union Army began accepting volunteers, he joined the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first African-American unit in organized by the northern states, though it was led by white officers.

The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, led by Robert Gould Shaw, was tasked with taking Fort Wagner, a beachhead fortification that guarded the southern approach to Charleston Harbor.

A previous attack on the fort failed, and the 54th was chosen for the next attempt. As the soldiers stormed the fort's walls, the Union flag bearer was killed. Carney grabbed the flag and held it for the duration of the battle.

Mary Edwards Walker, Civil War

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Dr. Mary Edwards Walker is the first and only female recipient of the Medal of Honor in US history. She was an abolitionist and medical doctor who tried to join the Union Army as a surgeon, but was unable to because she was a woman.

She declined to work as a nurse and instead accepted an unpaid volunteer position at military hospitals on the front line.

In 1863 she was finally allowed to work as a "

President Jimmy Carter reinstated Walker's medal in 1977.

Thomas Custer, Civil War

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Thomas Ward Custer was the first soldier to receive two Medals of Honor — both for actions in the Civil War.

His first medal was given to him for his actions at the Battle of Namozine Church. He led a cavalry charge over a barricade under fire, seized a Confederate flag, and took

Theodore Roosevelt, Spanish-American War

Theodore Roosevelt is the only president to have received the Medal of Honor, though he did so for actions prior to his term, and wasn't actually awarded the medal until 2001.

Then a Colonel in the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, Roosevelt received his medal for his actions at the Battle of San Juan Hill. The charge on the hill had been stalled, and the commanding officer of the battle had ordered the soldiers to hole their position.

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Upset at the lack of progress, Roosevelt managed to convince his superiors to send his unit, known as the Rough Riders, to assist the infantry in their assault.

Technically against orders, and " his unit in a charge up the hill. Roosevelt was the first American who made it to the Spanish trenches. The charge inspired other soldiers to follow, and the tide of the battle turned.

Roosevelt was nominated for the Medal of Honor during the war, but officials in the Army, upset over his disobedience and his new fame, blocked it. His nomination was finally confirmed in 2001 by President Bill Clinton.

Daniel Daly, Boxer Rebellion and the Banana Wars

Daniel Daly is one of only two Marines who received two Medals of Honor in two different conflicts. His first medal was awarded for his actions a the Battle of Peking (now called Beijing) during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.

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After a pitched battle, then-private Daly's unit managed to take the Tatar Wall. His unit then left to get reinforcements and supplies to reinforce the wall, leaving Daly alone to guard it.

The Boxers counter-attacked later that night, and Daly single-handedly held them off, killing or wounding about 200 of them.

Daly's second Medal of Honor was awarded for his actions at the Battle of Fort Dipitie, during the occupation of Haiti as part of the Banana Wars.

In that engagement, Daly, now a Gunnery Sergeant, led a unit of some 35 Marines against an attack of Cacos rebels. Not a single Marine died under his command during the battle.

Daly is also famous for reportedly yelling at his troops "

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Audie Murphy, World War II

Audie Leon Murphy was one of the most decorated soldiers in World War II and American history. He was awarded every military combat award a US Army soldier could receive, and was also given

William D. Hawkins, World War II

William D. Hawkins was a US Marine who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Tarawa in 1943.

Hawkins, his platoon of 40 men, and other Marines were pinned down by a number of

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Hawkins was finally shot and killed while throwing a grenade into an eighth machine gun nest by a Japanese soldier.

"to say that his conduct was worthy of the highest traditions of the Marine Corps is like saying the Empire State building is moderately high."

He recorded his last words were, "

Daniel Inouye, World War II

Daniel Inouye was one of only seven US Senators to receive the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the medal for his actions during a battle in the vicinity of San Terenzo, Italy.

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As a Japanese-American, Inouye was sent to the European theatre as part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated unit made up mostly of second-generation Japanese-Americans (Japanese-Americans were not allowed to fight in the Pacific).

Inouye and his unit were tasked with attacking a part of the Gothic Line, a German defense line in Europe. As they attacked, German machine gunners opened fire, pinning them down.

Inouye was shot in the stomach as he attempted to advance, but ignored his wounds, even after being told of the severity of them. He destroyed two machine gun nests with grenades before collapsing from blood loss.

Inouye's men distracted the third and final machine gun nest while he crawled toward it. As he was about to throw a grenade into it, a German grenade blew up, almost completely separating his right arm from his body.

Inouye's grenade was

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Roy Benavidez, Vietnam

Roy Benevidez was a Master Sergeant in the Army Special Forces who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in a firefight that has been called "Six Hours in hell."

In April of 1968, an American unit was on patrol w when they ran into a 1,000-man NVA infantry battalion.

Benevidez voluntarily boarded a helicopter to reinforce the unit, and was dropped into the fight for his life.

Benevidez ran to the pinned down unit after being dropped off. On the way, he was wounded in his right leg, face, and head. He took control of the soldiers, dragged half of the wounded to a Medvec helicopter, and then ran alongside the helicopter as it moved to pick up more wounded.

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As Benevidez went back to secure classified documents from the body of a dead soldier, the helicopter's pilot was

Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon, Somalia

Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart and Master Sergeant Gary Gordon, were two Delta Force snipers who were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993.

Shughart and Gordon were part of

Jason Dunham, Iraq

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Jason Dunham was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for sacrificing himself to save his fellow Marines during the Iraq War.

Dunham's unit was conducting a patrol in Husaybah, Iraq, when a firefight erupted nearby. His unit was ordered to intercept cars in the area that had been spotted at the attack.

As Dunham approached a vehicle to search it, an insurgent jumped out and engaged him in hand-to-hand combat. After wrestling the insurgent to the ground, Dunham noticed that he had pulled the pin of a grenade and dropped it.

Dunham immediately, and "without hesitation ...

Dakota Meyer, Afghanistan

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Dakota Meyer is a US Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Ganjgal on September 8, 2009, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.

Meyer's unit, along with some Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers set out to engage Taliban forces, and to protect anti-Taliban village elders in Ganjgal. The Marines were told that they would not have immediate close air support, but that there was artillery support in the area.

As soon as they arrived, the task force was ambushed on three sides by over 100 Taliban militants — more than were originally estimated by intelligence reports.

Calls for artillery support were denied for fear of civilian casualties, and nearby helicopters were taking fire at a different location.

Upon learning that four of his team members were cut off, Meyer and another Marine commandeered an ANA truck and, under intense enemy fire, drove to their location.

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Meyer would end up up making five trips to and from the battle site. Manning the machine gun, he killed a number of militants, some at almost point blank range, disrupting the Taliban attack, and taking pressure off of friendly forces.

During the trips, he and his driver evacuated two dozen ANA soldiers, many of which were wounded, and provided cover for other US Marines and ANA troops pinned by the Taliban.

Meyer eventually dismounted his vehicle and, on foot, went to an area the cut off servicemen were expected to be. He found their bodies, and prevented their capture by beating a Taliban insurgent to death with a rock.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor two years later, on

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