Congressional Silver Medal

For The Congressional Award Silver Medal, see Congressional Award.
Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson presenting the Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal to Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, 15 October 1937
Congressional Silver Medal awarded to Brig. Gen. Charles Yeager in 1976. (front)

A Congressional Silver Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. They have been made in either non-portable (not designed to be worn) or decoration (designed to be worn) form.

Congress has been authorizing gold medals since George Washington received the first one in 1776.[1] Occasionally Congress will authorize a silver medal in conjunction with the higher award.

Special Congressional Silver Medal

In 1976, President Gerald Ford presented, on behalf of Congress, a silver medal "equivalent to a noncombat Medal of Honor" to Brigadier General Charles "Chuck" Yeager, "for contributing immeasurably to aerospace science by risking his life in piloting the XS-1 research airplane faster than the speed of sound on October 14, 1947."[10] This apparently unique awardequivalent to a noncombat Medal of Honoris sometimes referred to as a Special Congressional Silver Medal.[11]

See also

References

  1. "Congressional Gold Medal Recipients". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  2. Loubat, J.F. (1878). Medallic History of the United States of America. Jules Jaquemart, ill. New Milford: N. Flayderman & Co., Inc.
  3. http://www.captainsclerk.info/speaks/book21.html
  4. "Letter from Lt. John Contee to Lewis Bush". ussconstitutionmuseum.org. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  5. "Medals for the Jeannette Expedition". The Army and Navy Journal 30 (8): 117. October 15, 1892.
  6. 46 Stat. 379
  7. "Congressional Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals awarded to the members of Rear Admiral Richard Byrd’s first Antarctic expedition". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  8. "P.L. 106-554, see 114 STAT. 2763A–311" (PDF). gpo.gov. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  9. "P.L. 110-420" (PDF). gpo.gov. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  10. P.L. 94-179
  11. "The Daily Diary of President Gerald R. Ford, 8 December 1976, see page 2" (PDF). fordlibrarymuseum.gov. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
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