Do medal of honor recipients receive monetary increases
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In the early days of the award, it was not limited to active duty personnel. To be considered for award of a Medal of Honor, a service member must have demonstrated "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in action involving actual conflict with an opposing armed force." There have been twelve Medals of Honor awarded thus far in the Global War on Terror, 7 of them awarded posthumously. Many Medal of Honor recipients, in fact, roughly two-thirds of the recipients since the beginning of World War II, have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the actions which merited the award. Since that time, more than 3,400 men and one woman have received the award for heroic actions in the nation's battles. Originally, the Medal was not authorized for officers - only for "petty officers, seamen, landsmen, and Marines," and "noncommissioned officers and privates." The Medal, first approved by President Lincoln for members of the Naval Service during the Civil War and later extended to the other services, was made a permanent decoration by Congress in 1863. Unlike other medals, the Medal of Honor (MOH) must be approved by the President, who awards it in the name of the Congress of the United States. The Medal of Honor (sometimes erroneously called the Congressional Medal of Honor) is the highest military award bestowed by the United States for valor in combat.