About the Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military award for bravery that can be conferred on a member of the American armed forces. It is bestowed for a deed of supreme valor. More often than not, the Medal of Honor is awarded posthumously.
Congress established the Medal of Honor in 1861. Because it was the only military medal in existence and the criteria for the award were rather broad, the Medal of Honor was not bestowed very selectively during its early history. In one case, President Abraham Lincoln awarded the Medal of Honor to each member of a Massachusetts infantry regiment who volunteered to re-enlist in the Union Army.
To restore the prestige of the Medal of Honor, Congress established a board in 1916 to review all past awards. The board rescinded 911 of the 2,625 Medals of Honor issued before 1916. In addition, stricter standards and the creation of other medals to honor gallant actions caused the number of Medal of Honor awards to decrease significantly in the 20th century. Only 123 Medals of Honor were approved in World War I and only 435 in World War II. During the Korean War, 131 Medals of Honor were awarded, and 240 were bestowed during the Vietnam War.
About Wisconsin Medal of Honor Recipients
Wisconsin citizens have been the recipients of 63 Medals of Honor. This figure does not include a special Congressional medal awarded to General William "Billy" Mitchell of Milwaukee, the pioneer air power theorist after whom Milwaukee's airport is named. Listed below, by conflict, are the Wisconsinites who have received the Medal of Honor. Read about some of Wisconsin's recipients on our blog.
The national record of recipients can be found here.
posthumous award
Wisconsin Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients (1861-1865) |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
Name |
Branch |
Residence or place of birth |
Place of burial |
| Anderson, Peter | Army | Lafayette Co., WI | Newell, IA |
| Coates, Jefferson | Army | Boscobel, WI | Dorchester, NE |
| Cosgriff, Richard H. | Army | Hudson, WI | Chippewa Falls, WI |
| Croft, James E. | Army | Janesville, WI | Janesville, WI |
| Cushing, Alonzo 1st Lt. |
Army | Delafield, WI | West Point, NY |
| Durham, John S. | Army | Malone, WI | Leavenworth, KS |
| Ellis, Horace | Army | Chippewa Falls, WI | Eagle Point, WI |
| Ellis, William | Army | Little Rock, AR (served with Company K, 3rd WI Cavalry) |
San Bernadino Co., CA |
| Hayes, John | Navy | Mercer Co., PA (resided in Wisconsin 1869-1867) |
Blairstown, IA |
| Hilliker, Benjamin | Army | Waupaca, WI | Hollywood, CA |
| Johnson, John | Army | Janesville, WI | Washington, DC |
| MacArthur, Arthur Jr. | Army | Milwaukee, WI | Arlington, VA |
| Moore, Daniel B. | Army | Mifflin, WI | Mineral Point, WI |
| Murphy, Denis J.F. | Army | Green Bay, WI | Allouez, WI |
| O'Connor, Albert | Army | Columbia Co., WI | Orting, WA |
| Patterson, John T. | Army | Mauston, WI | Mauston, WI |
| Pond, George F. | Army | Fairwater, WI | Fort Scott, KS |
| Pond, James B. | Army | Janesville, WI | Bronx, NY |
| Sickles, William H. | Army | Columbia Co., WI | Orting, WA |
| Toohey, Thomas | Army | Milwaukee, WI | Kansas City, MO |
| Truell, Edwin M. | Army | Manston, WI | Arlington, VA |
| Waller, Francis A. | Army | DeSoto, WI | Retreat, WI |
Wisconsin Frontier Wars Medal of Honor Recipients (1865-1891) |
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|
Name |
Branch |
Residence or place of birth |
Place of burial |
| Albee, George | Army | Baraboo, WI | Arlington, VA |
| Cable, Joseph A. | Army | Madison, WI | Crow Agency, MT |
| Goldin, Theodore F. | Army | Avon, WI | King, WI |
| Hill, Frank E. | Army | Mayfield, WI | San Francisco, CA |
| Nolan, Richard J. | Army | Milwaukee, WI | Washington, DC |
| Robbins, Marcus M. | Army | Elba, WI | Pittsfield, MA |
| Windus, Clarion A. | Army | Janesville, WI | Bracketville, TX |
Wisconsin Spanish - American War Medal of Honor Recipients (1898) |
|||
|
Name |
Branch |
Residence or place of birth |
Place of burial |
| Brookins, Oscar | Army | Byron, WI | Galloway, OH |
Wisconsin Philippine - American War Medal of Honor Recipients (1899-1902) |
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|
Name |
Branch |
Residence or place of birth |
Place of burial |
| McGrath, Hugh J. | Army | Eau Claire, WI | Arlington, VA |
Wisconsin Boxer Rebellion - China Relief Expedition Medal of Honor Recipients (1900) |
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|
Name |
Branch |
Residence or place of birth |
Place of burial |
| Young, Frank A. | Marine Corps | Milwaukee, WI | Arlington, VA |
Wisconsin Mexican Border Campaign Medal of Honor Recipients (1914-1917) |
|||
|
Name |
Branch |
Residence or place of birth |
Place of burial |
| Castle, Guy W.S. | Navy | Portage, WI | Arlington, VA |
| De Somer, Abraham | Navy | Milwaukee, WI | At sea |
Wisconsin World War I Medal of Honor Recipients (1917-1918) |
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|
Name |
Branch |
Residence or place of birth |
Place of burial |
| Siegel, John O. | Navy | Milwaukee, WI | unknown |
| Slack, Clayton | Army | Madison, WI | Arlington, VA |
Wisconsin World War II Medal of Honor Recipients (1941-1945) |
|||
|
Name |
Branch |
Residence or place of birth |
Place of burial |
| Agerholm, Harold C. |
Marine Corps | Racine, WI | Racine, WI |
| Anderson, Beauford T. | Army | Soldiers Grove, WI | California |
| Bong, Richard I. | Army Air Corps | Poplar, WI | Poplar, WI |
| Burr, Elmer J. |
Army | Menasha, WI | Neenah, WI |
| Endl, Gerald L. |
Army | Janesville, WI | Fort Atkinson, WI |
| Gruennert, Kenneth E. |
Army | Helenville, WI | Helenville, WI |
| Jerstad, John L. |
Army Air Corps | Racine, WI | *ABMC, Belgium |
| MacArthur, Douglas | Army | Milwaukee, WI | Norfolk, VA |
| Miller, Andrew |
Army | Two Rivers, WI | *ABMC, France |
| Mower, Charles E. |
Army | Chippewa Falls, WI | *ABMC, Philippines |
| Newman, Beryl R. | Army | Baraboo, WI | Urbanna, VA |
| Olson, Truman O. |
Army | Cambridge, WI | Stoughton, WI |
| Peterson, Oscar V. |
Navy | Prentice, WI | Missing at sea |
| Salomon, Benjamin L. | Army | Milwaukee, WI | Glendale, CA |
| Van Valkenburgh, Franklin |
Navy | Milwaukee, WI | Pearl Harbor, HI |
| Young, Cassin | Navy | Milwaukee, WI | Pearl Harbor, HI |
| * American Battle Monuments Commission Cemetery | |||
Wisconsin Korean War Medal of Honor Recipients (1950-1953) |
|||
|
Name |
Branch |
Residence or place of birth |
Place of burial |
| Christianson, Stanley R. |
Marine Corps | Mindoro, WI | Mindoro, WI |
| Handrich, Melvin O. |
Army | Manawa, WI | Manawa, WI |
| Ingman, Einar | Army | Irma, WI | Lincoln Co., WI |
| Red Cloud, Mitchell Jr. |
Army | Jackson Co., WI | Jackson Co., WI |
| Sudut, Jerome A. |
Army | Wausau, WI | Wausau, WI |
Wisconsin Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipients (1964-1972) |
|||
|
Name |
Branch |
Residence or place of birth |
Place of burial |
| Bellrichard, Leslie A. |
Army | Janesville, WI | Janesville, WI |
| Fritz, Harold A. | Army | Milwaukee, WI | living |
| Modrzejewski, Robert J. | Marine Corps | Milwaukee, WI | living |
| Sijan, Lance |
Air Force | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee, WI |
| Stumpf, Kenneth E. | Army | Menasha, WI | Arlington, VA |
| Wetzel, Gary G. | Army | Milwaukee, WI | living |