Who Turned Down The Medal of Honor?

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[phillipdickinson]

Medal of honor is a combat medal. Although Dolly Parton has heavy artillery, she has not been in combat.

[Fadeless_]

My Grandfather fought with Dolly Parton in Nam’. I can still remember the stories he told me. About how Dolly single handedly saved a dozen men from behind enemy lines with only an SOG Knife and a pistol with 3 bullets left. She is truly an American hero.

[Pickledill]

My dad turned down the Purple Heart. He was a medevac helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He got his pinky finger shot off while flying wounded men back to base. He said he didn’t even realize he was wounded until he pulled his glove off and one of his fingers stayed behind. He didn’t consider it a real injury since they were able to reattach a stump. He flew two more tours and got the flying cross which is the highest honor a pilot can receive.

[mxg]

WWII submarine commander Gene Flucky had considered turning down the Medal of Honor for leading a daring attack into the protected enemy port of Namkwan Harbor, on the occupied Chinese coast. The submarine snuck into the middle of a convoy of anchored ships under the cover of darkness. After firing her torpedoes, the sub had to travel an hour on the surface through rocks and minefields before reaching waters deep enough to dive in. He didn’t consider his actions worthy, as neither he nor any of his crew were injured in the action, and his boat was undamaged. His superiors talked him into accepting, partially on behalf of his crew.

[alanj]

Most of them are awarded posthumously. Hard to turn down.

[WilliamSmith-xmrf]

My great grandpa died this year he fought at the chosin reservoir in Korea and was highly decorated. He said no to the Medal of Honor because the marine corps always says no man left behind but his brothers bodies are still left behind there today he had some crazy stories about the war and still had flashbacks 70 years later

[Jerokhna]

I actually had one removed from my records because it was actually for another dude with the same first and last name, different middle name. The guy was actually in combat so I let awards and decs know they need to fix the mixup.

[npeace]

I have been to the Medal of Honor Museum on the USS Yorktown in SC. I encourage anyone visiting Charleston to visit Patriot's Point where Yorktown is located. I was there once for a 4th of July celebration and seeing fireworks over the ship was a great sight.

[KC-bgth]

Every single medal of honor recommendation reads better than any Hollywood movie in existence.

[jamesshiflett]

Smedley Butler tried to turn down his first MOH, but was convinced by his superiors to accept it.

[johnduffy]

Google didn't mess up. YOU messed up by not knowing how to perform a basic search and believing the first damn thing that showed up.

[Holly-ysme]

My best friend served in Vietnam. He was drafted at 17 years old while still in High School. He did not have a choice but had to drop out of high school to serve in the war because he did not want to dodge the draft like most teenagers were doing at the time. When he got to Vietnam, his supervising officer killed himself. So they put responsibilities on the new soldiers. He stayed and served in Vietnam until they honorably discharged him on his 21st birthday. He turned down medals and awards and other things because the United States government sends teenagers under 21 years old off to war. "Some of these teenagers are not old enough to vote or drink and did not get a chance to graduate from high school but the government sends them off to war." In his mind that is messed up. He did not want any of it. He later got his GED and attend some state college classes. He passed away in 2017. Yes, there are soldiers that turn down awards and medals.

So I see why people turn down awards from the government.

[NickMullet]

Google messed up is the most over 50 statement I’ve heard.

[GravitasZero]

My Grand Father (commando, special forces, paratrooper, and a few other occupations) technically turned down the medal of Honor (France).
They said he qualified for it and could now submit a demand for it.
He said that if he earned it, they’d give it to him without him having to ask for it. So, not bending to bureaucracy, he didn’t get it.

My family tried to get it for him posthumously but got turned down.


He did have quite a few other big medals though. He never talked about what he did during Indochina and Algeria (he had close ties to Indochina from his childhood), though one of my uncles read in a (reason for one of the medals) report that he’d fought off dozens (or something) of Viet Congs using grenades while most of his men were wounded and mostly incapable of fighting.
He died before I was born sadly (not in war)

[executivedirector]

Dwight Eisenhower turned it down, so yeah, it can be turned down. He felt that it needed to be reserved for actual combat valor and nothing less. One more reason to love the guy.

[robertnewell]

“Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940), nicknamed the Maverick Marine, was a senior United States Marine Corps officer. During his 34-year career, he fought in the Philippine–American War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Mexican Revolution, and World War I. At the time of his death, Butler was the most decorated Marine in U.S. history. By the end of his career, Butler had received sixteen medals, including five for heroism; he is the only Marine to be awarded the Brevet Medal as well as two Medals of Honor, all for separate actions”
*In protest of the abuse heaped on Veterans, General Butler returned both of his Congressional Medal of Honor*

[MrAdamloring]

The TN State legislature was wanting to have a statue made of Dolly Parton to be displayed in the bi-centinal mall, which is over looked by the state capital building here in Nashville. She requested they not make one because she felt that there are better ways to spent government money. Which is true. But no one in TN would mind if they went ahead and had it made. Everyone loves Dolly.

[armyguy]

Fun fact : anyone on active duty displaying the MOH ribbon is saluted first by everyone no matter their rank. That can mean a General must salute a private

[BearNDragon]

There is a screening process. The military doesn't want to be embarrassed by controversy they want a hero. A good movie depicting this is Courage Under Fire.

[whenlizardsfly]

anyone else heard about that kid who jumped on a grenade and got turned down? Happened recently too