Air Force Museum
Medal of Honor Awards in the Air Force
The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest military decoration, awarded for conspicuous gallantry and courage beyond the call of duty. Airmen received the Army design before a distinct Air Force medal was authorized in 1965. Maj. Bernard F. Fisher became the first recipient of the Air Force design in 1967 for his actions in Southeast Asia.
In depth
History & service
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for heroism in military action which this nation can bestow on a member of its Armed Forces. The first Medal of Honor won by an airman was awarded to Capt. Edward V. Rickenbacker for aerial combat in 1918.
The Air Force designed Medal of Honor was created on April 14, 1965. This medal was first presented by the president on Jan. 19, 1967, to Maj. Bernard F. Fisher for action in South Vietnam.
Members of the Air Force and its predecessor organizations have earned four Medals of Honor in World War I, 38 in World War II, four in the Korean War, and an additional number in the Vietnam War. Two more were presented by special Acts of Congress.
The Medal of Honor is awarded for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.
In addition to those Air Force flyers who have received the Medal of Honor for exceptional bravery in aerial combat, four other have received similar noncombatant recognition.
Details that tell the story
The Air Force medal design was authorized in 1965 · Maj. Bernard F. Fisher received the first Air Force design in 1967 · Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker was the first airman awarded the medal for aerial action
What survives after the mission
A museum object begins a second life when it stops performing its original job. An aircraft that once carried a crew becomes a place for public memory. A jacket, letter, medal, or small piece of equipment can preserve a much more intimate connection. The object is valuable both for what it reveals physically and for the documented story that gives it meaning.
Famous aircraft and individuals can make a complicated history approachable, but they are only part of it. Many people left no celebrated machine behind. Memorials, personal possessions, unit records, and photographs help recover the experiences of those whose service was less visible. They also preserve loss, separation, captivity, recovery, and the consequences of war for families and communities.
Preservation involves choices. Restoring an aircraft may make its design easier to understand, while retaining wear or damage may protect evidence of its use. A reproduction can explain how a machine worked, provided its identity remains clear. Linking objects across collections helps fill the gaps created when surviving material is dispersed. A uniform in one gallery, an aircraft in another, and a memorial elsewhere can illuminate the same history from different directions. The result is more than a record of machines: it is a way to keep the people, decisions, and experiences connected to them in view.
