Hail from the Chief: Presidential awards of the United States
Military Trader & Vehicles explores some of the more unique medals of the United States awarded by the president.
This article explores some of the more unique medals of the United States awarded by the president. While our examples are those awarded to recognize exceptional service or courageous acts in support of any war efforts, they are not commonly seen at military shows because they are awarded to civilians.
Medal of Merit
The Medal for Merit was created during World War II by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in December, 1942. It is considered the highest civilian decoration of the United States and was awarded to civilians, both American and foreign, who distinguished themselves by exceptional meritorious conduct or courageous acts in furtherance of the war efforts of the United Nations for any such service since the declaration of war by the president back to Sept. 8, 1939.
The Medal of Merit exhibits a dramatic design of a gold eagle with outspread wings on an open blue circle with 13 white stars. Measuring 38mm x 60mm including the circular green wreath suspension, the medal shows a purple ribbon with two central white stripes. The reverse of the medal is seen in gold with the inscription “United States of America”.
and is found on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States. David L. Burrows
The first medals were awarded on March 28, 1944 to two notable Americans. One went to John C. Garand for what General George Patton described as the greatest battle implement ever devised. He is credited with developing what would become the legendary .30-caliber M1 rifle. Working at the Springfield Armory, he developed a new semi-automatic rifle that was a shoulder weapon lighter than a machine gun, but with a higher rate of fire compared to a traditional bolt action rifle. The Army officially adopted the M1 in 1936, with the Marine Corp and Navy following by 1940. More than 6 million Garand rifles were eventually produced through 1957 when the M1 was replaced by the M-14, a gun Garand helped develop at Springfield.
The second recipient of the Medal of Merit on the same March 28, 1944 date was Albert Hoyt Taylor. Although receiving a Naval Reserve Commission in 1917, Taylor would by 1922 resign as the head of an experimental division at the Naval Air Station in Hampton Roads doing research on aircraft radio, but remain a civilian employee. By the time he was awarded the Medal of Merit, Taylor was credited with being the major developer of a radar system that had yielded the United States Navy a definite advantage over her enemies during WWII. It should be noted that civilians of foreign nations were also eligible to be awarded the honor for exhibiting remarkable bravery or bravery in support of the Allied war efforts against the Axis powers. The inaugural non-American recipient of the Medal of Merit was Sir Edward Wilfred Harry Travis, director of the British Government Code and Cypher School during WWII. He was recognized on Jan. 12, 1946.
There have been many notable recipients of the Medal of Merit, but the medal cannot be awarded for any action relating to the prosecution of WWII after December 31, 1946, with no proposal for such service after 1947. The last Medal of Merit was awarded in 1952 due to a long delay in processing.
Medal of Freedom
On July 6, 1945, President Harry S. Truman authorized by executive order 9586 a new award called the Medal of Freedom. This medal was awarded to any person who on or after Dec. 7, 1941 performed a meritorious act or service which aided the United States in the prosecution of a war against an enemy or enemies and for which an award of another United States medal or decoration is considered inappropriate. It could also be awarded to any person in the same period who had similarly aided any nation engaged with the United States in the prosecution of a war against a common enemy or enemies.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered the United States’ highest civilian honor. It is awarded by the president to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the security, national interests, world peace, or other public or private endeavors. The medal could be awarded to foreigners as well, based on any recommendation to the president or upon his own recommendation.
The medal is a bronze disc whose obverse features the profile of the Statue of Freedom of the U.S. capital building. The word “FREEDOM” is found in capital letters in an arc along the bottom. The main feature of the reverse is the image of the Liberty Bell surrounded by the words “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” in capital letters. It is interesting to note that while this medal was used to honor civilians whose actions aided the war efforts of the United States and Allies during and beyond WWII, it could also be awarded by the Secretary of State, Navy, and War as well as presidents Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. The executive order specified “no more than one Medal of Freedom” shall be awarded to any one person, but a subsequent act or service could be awarded with a bronze palm device. There is no evidence that any U.S. citizens received the palm device, but some non-citizens did receive them.
An interesting side note was that the first woman and American citizen to be awarded the Medal of Freedom was Anna M. Rosenberg upon the recommendation of President Truman. After serving in the Social Security Board and the National Recovery Administration, during 1944-1945 she was President Roosevelt’s and then President Truman’s special envoy to Europe to oversee military personnel issues. From 1950-53 she was an Assistant Secretary of Defense.
Awarding of the medal lasted until 1963, when President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 11085 changing the name to the “Presidential Medal of Freedom”. From then on it would solely be issued by the president.
Criteria for the new version of the award would be especially meritorious contributions in the areas of (1) the security or national interest of the United States, (2) world peace, (3) or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
With input from both President Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, the task to design the new medal fell to Harry D. Temple, the head of the Army’s Institute of Heraldry. The basic design is an 8.57cm-diameter white enamel star with a blue center and 13 white stars on a red enamel pentagon with five gold eagles at each intersection. The basic design element of a white star, a symbol often seen on military trucks, was chosen since it was an identifying emblem of the United States in the defense of freedom.
President Kennedy announced the first slate of 31 honorees on July 4, 1963. Unfortunately, the first presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom would be by President Lyndon B. Johnson two weeks after Kennedy’s assassination. It included two posthumous additions to the lis: Pope John XXIII and President Kennedy.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom comes in two degrees as specified in the original executive order, with the more prestigious version known as the Presidential Order of Freedom “with distinction”. The decision to award the higher degree is entirely at the discretion of the President. In 2017, President Barack Obama indicated that receiving the award with distinction noted an additional level of veneration in a class where all awards of the medal were already held in the highest esteem.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction is a breast star 79mm x 83mm worn on the left breast with a blue and white sash over the right shoulder. Between 1963 and 2025, the Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded 673 times to 670 individuals and one group (the Apollo 13 Missions Operations Team). It should be noted that two people (Ellsworth Bunker and Colin Powell) received the medal twice. In the same period the medal was awarded with distinction at least 55 times, amounting to approximately 8% of all awards.
The Presidential Award of Freedom is not limited to U.S. citizens, but is primarily a civil award that can be awarded to military personnel. For a person in the military, a ribbon bar is provided in dark blue with thin silver edge stripes with an bald eagle device in silver or with a gold bald eagle for those awarded the medal “with distinction” or a second award.
It is also noted that the president has wide latitude under the initial executive order to award the medal “to any person recommended to the President for the award or any person selected by the President on his own initiative”. Often it seems to reflect a particular president’s political and personal interests. While the list of recipients may include anyone from astronauts to humanitarians, even notable sports figures made the list. The first awarded athlete and humanitarian was Jesse Owens, presented by President Ford in a ceremony attended by members of the 1976 United States summer Olympic team. Gymnast and activist Simone Biles is the youngest person to receive the award at the age of 25.
Medal of Merit
The Presidential Citizens Medal was established by executive order on Nov. 13, 1969 by President Nixon. It is considered the second-highest award in the United States and is second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It recognizes an individual “who has performed exemplary deeds for services for his or her fellow citizens”. Only United States citizens are eligible for the medal and it may be awarded posthumously.
The 42mm x 41mm medal is a disc of gilt and enamel, based on the Seal of the President of the United States. It exhibits a gold eagle surrounded by a wreath of green enamel leaves. Rays lead the eye to 13 white circular discs at the top of the disc. The gold reverse is marked “From the President of the United State” with room to engrave the recipient’s name.
Awards may be given to individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to their own community or in communities farther from home. The medal can be awarded to service related to long-term persistent problems such as homelessness and hunger. The ideal nominee for the Citizens Medal is a person who provided inspiration for others to serve.
The medal is awarded as a cased set with a full-size medal, a miniature medal along with lapel pin and ribbon bar.
One of the first Presidential Citizens Medals was awarded posthumously to baseball legend Roberto Clemente by President Nixon in 1973. His citation indicated how he transformed the game of baseball with his skill and spirit, but more than that it was for his dedication for helping others as a noted humanitarian.
dark blue (12mm) and white (2mm) edge stripes on a ring suspension.
David L. Burrows
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David Burrows is a retired educator and life long military collector. He started collecting as a teenager. David was a physics teacher for 37 years with the Pittsburgh Public schools. He is a frequent contributor to Military Trader as well as the OMSA Journal. His other passion with British cars has resulted in many feature stories both in US publications as well as international publications over the last 30 years.