CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL

: ''Congressional Gold Medals should not be confused with the Medal of Honor (commonly called the Congressional Medal of Honor), which is also awarded by Congress, but only to military members as the highest military decoration of the United States.''
A 'Congressional Gold Medal' is the highest civilian award which may be bestowed by the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the United States government. The decoration is awarded to any individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States. The honoree need not be an American citizen. Canadian Kenneth D. Taylor, for example, is a recipient. All those on board Flight 93 were nominated for a Congressional Gold Medal on September 19, 2001 [7]. These awards have not been granted, but the crew and passengers of Flight 93 have been the subject of numerous other honors, including a government memorial passed on September 10, 2002.
A Congressional Gold Medal is considered the Congressional equivalent to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Both decorations are generally considered to hold the same degree of prestige (though significantly fewer Gold Medals have been awarded), the difference being that the Freedom Medal is personally awarded by the President of the United States and Congressional Gold Medals are awarded in the name of the Congress.
Per committee rules, legislation bestowing a Congressional Gold Medal upon a recipient must be co-sponsored by two thirds of the membership of both the House of Representatives and the Senate before their respective committees will consider it.
A Congressional Gold Medal is created by the United States Mint to specifically commemorate the person and achievement for which the medal is awarded. Each medal is therefore different in appearance and there is no standard design for a Congressional Gold Medal. Congressional Gold Medals are also considered "non-portable", meaning that they are not meant to be worn on a uniform or other clothing, but rather displayed much like a trophy. Often, bronze versions of the medals are struck for sale.
A Congressional Gold Medal is a completely separate decoration from the Medal of Honor, which is a military award for extreme bravery in action. Another similarly named decoration is the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, presented by NASA for extreme accomplishment to the mission of United States space exploration.

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See also

★ Recipients of Congressional Gold Medals

★ Congressional Silver Medal

External links

★ List of recipients

★ Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Congressional Gold Medals

★ PDF of CRS Report RL30076, Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2006, Updated December 20, 2006