The Medal of Honor is the highest decoration for valor that can be bestowed on a member of the Armed Forces of the United States. Since the Medal's inception in 1861, among the tens of millions of men and women who have borne American arms, the Medal has only been awarded 3,458 times. Almost half of those awards were for actions that occurred during the Civil War. Over the decades, and especially after WW I, the standards by which the Medal is awarded have become more and more stringent and the frequency with which it is bestowed has declined sharply. The Medal of Honor truly is the most...