General, National Medal of Honor Day is observed on 25 March to reflect the first recipients to receive the nation's highest award for valor on this date in 1863.

25 March 1863: First bestowing of the Medal of Honor: On this day the President of the United States bestowed over 3,000 Medals of Honor.

Per the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, there were 742 MOH recipients during World War II from all American military services - with 38 members from the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). Of these 38 Medal of Honor (MOH) recipients, 17 or 45 percent were assigned to Eighth Air Force.

Rest of the Story: Eighth Air Force (8 AF) has the highest number of MOH recipients of any Numbered Air Force in World War II. The 17 MOH recipients for the Eighth were all bomber aircrew members with 12 aboard B-17 Flying Fortress bombers and five aboard B-24 Liberator bombers. Of these 17 recipients, 14 were officers with the remaining three enlisted. Their grades ranged from Brigadier General to Sergeant. The first Non-Commissioned Officer recipient in Eighth Air Force was also the first enlisted MOH recipient for the entire United States Army Air Forces.

Of the 14 officer recipients - one was a Brigadier General, one Colonel, two Lieutenant Colonels, one Major and nine were Lieutenants. Of the officer recipients - two were air commanders, six pilots, three co-pilots, two navigators, and one bombardier.

Of the three Non-Commissioned Officers - one was a Technical Sergeant (radio-air gunner) and two wore the rank of Sergeant (with one being a flight engineer-gunner and the other being a ball turret gunner).

Location of the act of heroism included Germany (for seven of the recipients), Romania (for four; expeditionary air mission to North Africa for Operation Tidal Wave), France (for two), and "over Europe" (for four).

There are two instances where the two officer recipients were on the same B-24 bomber aircraft as well an instance where an officer and an enlisted recipients were on the same B-17 bomber aircraft.

The youngest of the 17 MOH recipients for Eighth Air Force was age 20, the oldest was 39. Thirteen recipients were in their twenties.

Of the 17 MOH recipients of Eighth Air Force, 11 were recognized posthumously.

The Mighty Eighth Air Force was noted for its "tenacity" and "loyalty to wingman." Tenacity to get the assigned air combat mission accomplished regardless of the massive German Air Force (GAF) counter-air resistance. Most bombers of Eighth Air Force were downed by the GAF's ground-based, anti-air artillery protecting high-value targets in Germany. Loyalty to wingman was evident among the Eighth's air combat formations - whether composed of only bombers, only fighters, or a formation of bombers with fighter escorts.

These two observations about Eighth Air Force - "tenacity" and "loyalty to wingman" - were made in post-war interviews of German Air Force fighter pilots who had opposed the Eighth in air combat over the Continent of Europe during World War II. The 17 MOH recipients of Eighth Air Force reflect these two observations.