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When was the U.S. Medal of Honor established for the Navy and Army?
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Pierre and Marie Curie depicted on the obverse of a medal from the Unio Internationalis Contra Cancrum (International Union Against Cancer) commemorating the Curies' discovery of radium in 1898.
The Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military decoration, was established by Congress in 1861 for the navy and in 1862 for the army.1
Initially, the award was restricted to enlisted personnel, though eligibility was later expanded to include officers. While the army medal has consistently been reserved for valor in combat, the navy medal was historically awarded for noncombat actions, such as lifesaving, until 1942, when its criteria were restricted to combat-related heroism.1