Today...

...is National Medal of Honor Day, a day intended to honor recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest honor awarded to a member of the U.S. military. The measure was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives in 2007.

Initially approved by the Congress and President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, the Medal of Honor was awarded with somewhat more frequency in that time than it would be later. The screening and evaluation process today means that far fewer of Medals of Honor are awarded, and the nature of the valor required to meet those criteria often means it is awarded posthumously. Here's a list of the recipients -- clicking on the names leads to the award citation, which explains what circumstances led to the Medal of Honor.

Fewer than 100 men who earned this honor live today. The number of those who live because of what they did is considerably greater.