MOTO MONDAY

A look at the Corps and the Medal of Honor

On 10 July 1863, Corporal John F. Mackie became the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor, which is the highest U.S. military award for bravery, has been awarded 298 times to 296 Marines from the Civil War to present day.

The medal has been awarded to Marines like Private First Class Albert E. Schwab, who used his flame thrower to demolish a hostile gun position in World War II and continued his one-man assault to destroy two Japanese gun positions before his death. Another Marine, First Lieutenant Ernest C. Williams, rushed a fortress gate in the Dominican Republic in 1916 with only eight men. With eight of his party wounded, he pressed on, threw himself against the door just as the Dominicans were closing it and forced an entry. He and his men disposed of the guards and within a few minutes had gained control of the fort and the one hundred prisoners confined there.

Corporal Mackie

Here's a look back on the other Marines who, over the past 149 years, have bravely fought in the pursuit of freedom and justice.

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Private First Class Schwab

The most recent Medal of Honor went to Sergeant Dakota Meyer for his actions in Afghanistan in 2009.