http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. It is often colloquially referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor because the President presents the award "in the name of the Congress".[3] It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself "…conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States…"
Between 1919 and 1942, the Navy issued two separate versions of the Medal of Honor, one for non-combat bravery and the other for combat-related acts. Official accounts vary, but presumably the combat Medal of Honor was known as the "Tiffany Cross", after the company that manufactured the medal. "The Tiffany" was first issued in 1919, but was rare and unpopular, partly because it was presented both for combat and noncombat events.[26] As a result, in 1942 the United States Navy reverted to a single Medal of Honor, awarded only for heroism
Since the beginning of World War II, the medal has been awarded for extreme bravery beyond the call of duty while engaged in action against an enemy. Arising from these criteria, approximately 60% of the medals earned during and after World War II have been awarded posthumously
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of armed forces of some Commonwealth countries and previous British Empire territories. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service and civilians under military command, and is presented to the recipient by the British monarch during an investiture held at Buckingham Palace. As it is the highest award for bravery in the United Kingdom, it takes precedence over other postnominals and medals.[2]
The VC was introduced in 1856 by Queen Victoria to reward acts of valour during the Crimean War. Since then the medal has been awarded 1,356 times to 1,353 individual recipients. Only 14 medals have been awarded since the end of the Second World War. The medal itself is made from the gunmetal of a weapon supposedly captured at the siege of Sevastopol, but several historians have since questioned the true origin of the gunmetal.[3] Due to its rarity, the VC is highly prized and the medal can reach over £200,000 at auction and there are a number of public and private collections devoted to it, most notably that of Lord Ashcroft, which contains over one-tenth of the total VCs awarded
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's major nations. World wars usually span multiple continents, and are devastating.
The term has usually been applied to two conflicts of unprecedented scale and slaughter that occurred during the 20th century. They were the First World War, also known as the Great War (1914–1918) and the Second World War (1939–1945).
