Medal of Honor is the military’s highest honor for valor

The highest award for valor in the U.S. military is The Medal of Honor.

More than 3,500 men and one woman have been awarded the medal since President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill Dec. 21,1861 creating the medal, according to a Department of Defense report.

Sgt. Charles Clinton Fleek, of Petersburg, Kentucky, was posthumously awarded the medal Feb.16, 1971.

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Fleek’s medal approval went through 11 commanders before President Richard Nixon granted his approval. U.S. Navy Admiral John S. McCain Jr., father of Sen. John McCain, was the eighth highest ranking military officer to recommend that the honor be bestowed.