 
The Roman Legions awarded the first Legionnaire over the wall a laurel of oak
leaves which was later changed to a gold button. Napoleon rewarded his bravest
soldiers the Legion of Honor, which became an enduring symbol of excellence in
France to this day.
 
During our revolution, we refuted all things such as medals that were attached
to the King. Only a few individual medals were struck to honor General
Washington and other key leaders. 
However, in 1782, General Washington proclaimed the Order of Military Merit for
both bravery and meritorious service. After the Army disbanded, it fell into
disuse until brought back by General Douglas MacArthur in 1932 as the Purple
Heart.
 
The Civil War saw the introduction of the first medals of honor for the Army
and Navy. The South really had no medals until the Southern Cross of Honor was
established after the war.
After the Spanish American War, President Roosevelt, an ardent supporter of the
military, decided to create medals for all conflicts from the Civil War to the
Spanish American War. He began our country's policy of awarding campaign or
service medals for each veteran who participated.
 World War I saw the
first Victory Medal and the use of devices such as stars, oak leafs and bars to
denote additional awards or campaigns. New decorations were added to maintain
the prestige of the Medal of Honor.
 World War II saw the
award system expand to provide a wider degree of decorations for valor and
merit and more service medals to signify campaigns in Europe, Asia and the
Americas.
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