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The Medal of Honor is the United States' highest and most prestigious military decoration, awarded for acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. Established during the Civil War in 1861, it was initially created for the Navy and later extended to the Army and other service branches. It recognizes service members who display extraordinary bravery and self-sacrifice, often at the risk of their own lives, during combat operations against enemy forces.
Over the years, the Medal of Honor has become a symbol of the greatest military heroism. Each recipient undergoes a thorough review process, and the medal is typically presented by the President of the United States in the name of Congress, which is why it's often called the "Congressional Medal of Honor." Only a few thousand individuals have received this honor since its inception, making it one of the rarest and most respected awards in the U.S. military.
Technical Sergeant Charles H. Coolidge received the Medal of Honor from Lieutenant General Wade H. Haislip during a battlefield ceremony near Dornstadt, Germany, on June 18, 1945. This presentation was one of the rare instances during World War II where the Medal of Honor was awarded in the field rather than by the President at the White House.
Coolidge earned the Medal for his extraordinary bravery during a four-day battle in October 1944 near Belmont-sur-Buttant, France. Leading a small group of soldiers, he held off repeated German attacks, including assaults by infantry and tanks, demonstrating exceptional leadership and courage under fire.
The field presentation by Lt. Gen. Haislip underscores the immediacy and significance of Coolidge's actions. While the Medal of Honor is traditionally presented by the President, wartime circumstances sometimes necessitated alternative arrangements, as in Coolidge's case.
Citation
War Department, General Orders No. 53, July 1945
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Technical Sergeant Charles Henry Coolidge, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty on October 24 – 27, 1944, while serving with Company M, 3d Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, in action at East of Belmont sur Buttant, France.
Leading a section of heavy machine guns supported by one platoon of Company K, he took a position near Hill 623, east of Belmont-sur-Buttant, France, 24 October 1944, with the mission of covering the right flank of the 3d Battalion and supporting its action. TSgt. Coolidge went forward with a sergeant of Company K to reconnoiter positions for coordinating the fires of the light and heavy machine guns. They ran into an enemy force in the woods estimated to be an infantry company. TSgt. Coolidge, attempting to bluff the Germans by a show of assurance and boldness, called upon them to surrender, whereupon the enemy opened fire. With his carbine, TSgt. Coolidge wounded two of them. There being no officer present with the force, TSgt. Coolidge at once assumed command. Many of the men were replacements recently arrived; this was their first experience under fire. TSgt. Coolidge, unmindful of the enemy fire delivered at close range, walked along the position, calming and encouraging his men and directing their fire. The attack was thrown back. Through 24 and 26 October the enemy launched repeated attacks against the position of this combat group but each was repulsed due to TSgt. Coolidge's able leadership. On 27 October, German infantry, supported by two tanks, made a determined attack on the position. The area was swept by enemy small-arms, machine-gun, and tank fire. TSgt. Coolidge armed himself with a bazooka and advanced within 25 yards of the tanks. His bazooka failed to function and he threw it aside. Securing all the hand grenades he could carry, he crawled forward and inflicted heavy casualties on the advancing enemy. Finally it became apparent that the enemy, in greatly superior force, supported by tanks, would overrun the position. TSgt. Coolidge, displaying great coolness and courage, directed and conducted an orderly withdrawal, being himself the last to leave the position. As a result of TSgt. Coolidge's heroic and superior leadership, the mission of his combat group was accomplished throughout four days of continuous fighting against numerically superior enemy troops in rain and cold and amid dense woods.
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ViDEO: Medal of Honor Presentation (18 June 1945)
Technical Sergeant Charles H. Coolidge receives the Medal of Honor from LTGEN Wade Haislip on 18 June, 1945 on a bombed-out field near Dornstadt, Germany.
The Gillespie Design
You may have noticed that the version of the Medal of Honor awarded to Charles Coolidge in 1945 looks a bit different from the version worn by recipients today. During World War II, the Army awarded the medal design created in 1904 by General George Gillespie, himself a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient. Gillespie’s redesign modernized and standardized the decoration after decades of criticism that the original 1862 medal looked too similar to common campaign or service medals.
The Gillespie Medal of Honor features a five-pointed star tipped with trefoils, surrounded by a green laurel wreath symbolizing honor and victory. At the center is a raised image of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, shown fending off Discord with her shield — a classical symbol of strategic, rather than brutal, warfare. Above the star sits a gold bar engraved with the word “VALOR” and crowned with a spread-winged eagle clutching both arrows (war) and an olive branch (peace). The medal is suspended from a light blue ribbon embroidered with 13 white stars, representing the original states of the Union.
When first issued, this version was worn like other military decorations — on the left chest, pinned by a small drape of ribbon. However, in 1944 the Army introduced the neck ribbon, which allowed the medal to hang around the neck in a more distinctive, ceremonial fashion. This change elevated its visibility and reinforced its status as the nation’s highest military honor.
For several years, there was a transitional period: Gillespie’s medal, originally designed for chest wear, was often mounted onto a neck ribbon for presentation and wear. It wasn’t until after the war that the modern configuration became standard — the medal permanently attached to a wide light-blue neck ribbon, held in place by a brooch decorated with 13 stars.
By law, each Medal of Honor recipient is authorized two official medals: one for wear and one for display. This ensures that recipients have a medal suitable for ceremonial occasions while also preserving another for safekeeping or exhibition. After WWII, recipients were given opportunities to replace their older version with a newer modern version and also receive a second copy for display, however Charles Coolidge never replaced his. He did however, receive a modern version to wear and decided to display his original Gillespie version.
Below, you can see photos of his original Gillespie MOH as well as his modern version. Note how faded the front of the Gillespie medal is due to 80+ years of display. Also, his name was engraved on the back of his Gillespie medal by a local jeweler (Fischer Evans Jewelry) upon his return home in 1945 in Chattanooga, TN. When his original Medal of Honor was presented to him on a battlefield in Germany, the medal was blank.
The theft of Coolidge's Gillespie Medal of Honor
While attending a convention in the 1990s, Charles Coolidge was conned out of his original Gillespie Medal of Honor. At the time, it was common for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society to offer services to recipients, such as cleaning and repairing their medals, usually at conventions where many honorees were in attendance. Charles was approached by a man who claimed to be a Society member and offered to take his Gillespie medal for cleaning and repair. The man provided a temporary replacement medal — the modern version — to wear while the original was being serviced. Charles never saw him again. It later emerged that the man had snuck into the convention posing as a Society member to steal genuine recipients’ medals. The temporary medal he had given Charles was real, produced by HLI Lordship Industries, Inc., but it had been obtained on the black market.
Years later, FBI Agent Tom Cottone spotted several Medals of Honor for sale at a gun show in Ohio and immediately seized them. One of these turned out to be Charles Coolidge’s stolen medal, which Agent Cottone personally returned to him. Coolidge later said, “It was a big surprise to me to get it back.”
The rise in stolen military medals during the 1990s and early 2000s contributed to the passage of the first Stolen Valor Act in 2005, signed into law by President George W. Bush. This legislation made it a federal crime to falsely claim — verbally or in writing — any military service or the receipt of U.S. military decorations, including the Medal of Honor. Following a 2012 Supreme Court ruling that struck down parts of the law, a revised Stolen Valor Act was enacted in 2013 under President Barack Obama. The updated law specifically criminalizes falsely claiming certain military awards with the intent to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefits.
Article from The Huntsville Times, 30 April 2006.
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Article from The Chattanooga Times Free Press, April 1996.
The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center
Below you will see Charles Coolidge's Medal of Honor on display at the Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee—the birthplace of the Medal of Honor—was officially opened in February 2020. The 19,000-square-foot facility features immersive exhibits, educational classrooms, and galleries that chronicle the history of the Medal of Honor from its origins during the Civil War to the present day. The Center’s mission is to memorialize the legacy of the nation’s highest military award for valor and to inspire future generations by sharing the stories of courage and sacrifice behind it. Through programs like the Medal of Honor Character Development Program, the Heritage Center emphasizes the core values represented by Medal of Honor recipients. These are summarized in six key character traits: patriotism, citizenship, courage, integrity, sacrifice, and commitment. Each trait reflects the moral foundation of those who have earned the Medal and serves as a guide for visitors and students to apply these enduring principles in their own lives.
For more information or to plan a visit, go to: www.mohhc.org
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Photos by Bradford Coolidge Photography, 2025.