49 Military Medals and What They Mean
By Andrew Lisa, Stacker News
On 3/9/21 at 8:00 PM EST
In 1787, Col. David Humphreys wrote: Few inventions could be more happily calculated to diffuse the knowledge and preserve the memory of illustrious characters and splendid events, than medals.
The Revolutionary War colonel and aide de camp to Gen. George Washington made that statement more than a decade after the Continental Congress first instituted the tradition of issuing medals to recognize and show appreciation for distinguished military service in 1776. Nearly two-and-a-half centuries later, his words still ring true. Today, Stacker is taking a look at military medals and what they mean.