Medal of Freedom

Medal of Freedom
Medal of Freedom
Medaloffreedom.jpg
Medal with palm device
Awarded by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of War, or the Secretary of the Navy
Country  United States
Type Medal
Eligibility Any person not a member of the armed forces of the United States
Awarded for "a meritorious act or service which has 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"
Status replaced 22 February 1963 by Presidential Medal of Freedom[1]
Statistics
First awarded 1946
Last awarded 1961
Total awarded over 20,000
Precedence
Next (higher) Medal for Merit
Next (lower) unspecified
Medal of Freedom.svg
Ribbon bar of the medal

The Medal of Freedom was a decoration established by President Harry S. Truman to honor civilians whose actions aided in the war efforts of the United States and its allies. It was intended to be awarded by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of War, or the Secretary of the Navy, but it is known that Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy also authorized awards.[2]

Contents

History

Established on July 6, 1945, the Medal of Freedom may be awarded "to any person, not hereinafter specifically excluded, who, on or after December 7, 1941, has performed a meritorious act or service which has 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. The Medal of Freedom may also be awarded to any person, not hereinafter specifically excluded, who, on or after December 7, 1941, has similarly aided any nation engaged with the United States in the prosecution of a war against a common enemy or enemies. The Medal of Freedom shall not be awarded to a citizen of the United States for any act or service performed within the continental limits of the United States or to a member of the armed forces of the United States." The medal may be awarded posthumously.[3]

The Medal of Freedom was discontinued in 1963 when the Presidential Medal of Freedom was instituted.

Description

The medal is a bronze disc whose obverse features the profile bust facing left of an individual wearing a cap resembling an American Bald Eagle ornamented by stars, with the word "FREEDOM" in capital letters in an arc at the bottom of the disc. The reverse features the Liberty Bell surrounded by the words "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" in capital letters. The medal is suspended on a red ribbon with four thin white stripes. The original Executive Order 9586 establishing the medal specified "No more than one Medal of Freedom shall be awarded to any one person, but for a subsequent act or service justifying such an award a suitable device may be awarded to be worn with the medal"[4] and bronze, silver, and gold palm devices were produced and awarded, but there is no evidence of U.S. citizens having received these palm devices, whereas non-U.S. citizens did receive quite a number of them, and these devices have been interpreted as signifying degrees of the award.[5][6]

Ribbons

Medal of Freedom stripe.svg

Without palm

Medal of Freedom stripe bronsepalme.svg

With bronze palm

Medal of Freedom stripe sølvpalme.svg

With silver palm

Medal of Freedom stripe gullpalme.svg

With gold palm

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Executive Order 11085
  2. ^ http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php#axzz1FtxX92MX
  3. ^ "Harry S. Truman: Executive Order 9586 - The Medal of Freedom". Presidency.ucsb.edu. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=59291#axzz1FtxX92MX. Retrieved 2011-11-15. 
  4. ^ "Executive Orders Harry S. Truman 1945-1953". Trumanlibrary.org. http://www.trumanlibrary.org/executiveorders/index.php?pid=778&st=&st1=. Retrieved 2011-11-15. 
  5. ^ "The OMSA Medal Database - WWII Medal of Freedom". OMSA. 2010-11-21. http://www.omsa.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=8033. Retrieved 2011-11-15. 
  6. ^ "The OMSA Medal Database - Medal of Freedom with Gold Palm". OMSA. http://www.omsa.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=5528. Retrieved 2011-11-15. 

External links


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  • Medal of Freedom — ☆ Medal of Freedom n. a U.S. decoration awarded to civilians for significant aid in prosecuting a war and, since 1963, to civilians or military persons for any of various achievements …   English World dictionary

  • Medal of Freedom — a former name of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. [1940 45, Amer.] * * * Medal of Freedom, = Presidential Medal of Freedom. (Cf. ↑Presidential Medal of Freedom) * * * ˌMedal of ˈFreedom noun the highest award that the US gives to a ↑civilian… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Medal of Freedom — a former name of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. [1940 45, Amer.] * * * …   Universalium

  • Medal of Freedom (disambiguation) — Medal of Freedom may refer to: Presidential Medal of Freedom Republican Senatorial Medal of Freedom Medal of Freedom established in 1945, replaced in 1963 by the Presidential Medal of Freedom Truman Reagan Medal of Freedom see Victims of… …   Wikipedia

  • Medal of Freedom (1945) — Die Medal of Freedom, 1945–1963 (mit Zweig für Tapferkeit) Die Medal of Freedom ( Freiheitsmedaille ) war in der Zeit nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg neben der Medal for Merit eine der beiden höchsten zivilen Auszeichnungen der Vereinigten Staaten von …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Medal of Freedom — Date: 1945 a United States decoration awarded to civilians for meritorious achievement in any of various fields …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Medal of Freedom — Med′al of Free′dom n. cvs an award by the president of the U.S. for outstanding achievement: the highest civilian decoration …   From formal English to slang

  • Presidential Medal of Freedom — Awarded by …   Wikipedia

  • Presidential Medal of Freedom — Die Freiheitsmedaille des Präsidenten seit 1963, Halsbandorden mit Zubehör: Bandschnalle (oben), kleine Ausführung (links), Anstecknadel (rechts) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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