Medal of Freedom (1945)

American civil decoration awarded 1945–1961

Not to be confused with Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Award

Medal of Freedom

Obverse and reverse of medal with palm device

Type| Medal
Awarded for| "A meritorious act or service which has aided the United States in the prosecution of a war against an enemy or enemies and for which an award of another United States medal or decoration is considered inappropriate"
Country|  United States
Presented by| the Secretary of State, Secretary of War or Secretary of the Navy
Eligibility| Any person not a member of the armed forces of the United States
Status| Replaced 22 February 1963 by Presidential Medal of Freedom[1]
Established| 1945
First award| 1945
Final award| 1962[2]
Total| Over 20,000

Ribbon bar of the medal

Precedence
Next (higher)| Medal for Merit
Next (lower)| unspecified

The Medal of Freedom was a decoration established by President Harry S. Truman to honor civilians whose actions aided in the war efforts of the United States and its allies during and beyond World War II. It was intended to be awarded by the secretary of state, the secretary of war, or the secretary of the navy, but presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy also authorized awards.[3] The first woman and American citizen to receive it was Anna M. Rosenberg by Robert P. Patterson on the recommendation of Eisenhower.[4][5]

## Description

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The medal is a bronze disc whose obverse features the profile of the Statue of Freedom of the US Capitol Building, with the word "FREEDOM" in capital letters in an arc at the bottom of the disc. The reverse features the Liberty Bell surrounded by the words "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" in capital letters. The medal is suspended on a red ribbon with four thin white stripes. The original Executive Order 9586 establishing the medal specified "No more than one Medal of Freedom shall be awarded to any one person, but for a subsequent act or service justifying such an award a suitable device may be awarded to be worn with the medal"[6] and bronze, silver, and gold palm devices were produced and awarded. There is no evidence of U.S. citizens having received these palm devices, whereas some non-U.S. citizens did receive them (e.g. Micheline "Michou" Dumon, Nancy Wake and Andrée de Jongh), and the devices have been interpreted as signifying degrees of the award.[7][8]

## Ribbons

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Without palm

With bronze palm

With silver palm

With gold palm

## See also

[edit]

* Presidential Medal of Freedom
* Awards and decorations of the United States government

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Kennedy, John F. (22 February 1963). "The Presidential Medal of Freedom". Executive Order 11085. United States Government. Retrieved 24 June 2015. "The Medal of Freedom is hereby reestablished as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, with accompanying ribbons and appurtenances."
2. ^ "Journal of the Orders & Medals Society of America; Volume 14, Issue 1" (PDF). OSMA. January 1963. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
3. ^ Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. (24 June 1980). "Interview With the President Responses to Written Questions Submitted by the EFE Spanish News Agency". The American Presidency Project. University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
4. ^ "Anna Rosenberg, first woman to receive Medal of Freedom". jwa.org. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
5. ^ "Photo of Mrs. Anna Rosenberg being presented the Medal of Freedom by Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson". trumanlibrary.gov. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
6. ^ "Executive Orders Harry S. Truman 1945–1953". Trumanlibrary.org. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
7. ^ "The OMSA Medal Database – WWII Medal of Freedom". OMSA. 21 November 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
8. ^ "The OMSA Medal Database – Medal of Freedom with Gold Palm". OMSA. Retrieved 15 November 2011.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Medal of Freedom (1945-1961) at Wikimedia Commons

* v
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Harry S. Truman

* 33rd President of the United States (1945–1953)
* 34th Vice President of the United States (1945)
* U.S. Senator from Missouri (1935–1945)

Presidency|

* Timeline
* Inaugurations
* first
* second
* Assassination attempt
* 1952 Puerto Rican constitutional referendum
* State of the Union Address
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* Judicial appointments
* Supreme Court
* Sherman Minton Supreme Court nomination
* Cabinet
* Truman Balcony
* "The buck stops here"
* Executive Orders
* Presidential Proclamations
* Eisenhower transition

| Foreign policy|

* Truman Doctrine
* Potsdam Conference
* 1945; Agreement on Europe
* Declaration to Japan
* Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945)
* War Brides Act (1945)
* Alien Fiancées and Fiancés Act (1946)
* Luce–Celler Act (1946)
* Executive Order 9835 (1947)
* General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1947)
* Hoover Commission (1947)
* National Security Act of 1947
* U.S. Department of Defense
* Joint Chiefs of Staff
* National Security Council
* National Security Resources Board
* Air Force/Department
* Central Intelligence Agency
* Displaced Persons Act (1948)
* Key West Agreement (1948)
* Marshall Plan (1948)
* Joint Long Range Proving Grounds (1949)
* North Atlantic Treaty
* 1949; NATO
* Revolt of the Admirals (1949)
* Korean War
* 1950–1953; U.N. Security Council Resolutions 82, 83
* Defense Production Act of 1950
* Relief of Douglas MacArthur
* Office of Defense Mobilization
* 1950; Science Advisory Committee, 1951
* Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
* National Security Agency (1952)

|

Fair Deal|

* Medal of Freedom (1945)
* Revenue Act of 1945
* National Mental Health Act
* 1946; National Institute of Mental Health
* Atomic Energy Act of 1946
* U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
* Employment Act of 1946
* Council of Economic Advisers
* Flood Control Acts
* 1946
* 1948
* 1950
* Fulbright Program (1946)
* Hill–Burton Act (1946)
* Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946
* Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946
* Federal Tort Claims Act
* Legislative Reference Service
* National School Lunch Act (1946)
* President's Committee on Civil Rights (1946)
* Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (1947)
* Housing and Home Finance Agency (1947)
* Presidential Succession Act of 1947
* Taft–Hartley Act (1947)
* Agricultural Act of 1948
* Executive Order 9981 (1948)
* Revenue Act of 1948
* Agricultural Act of 1949
* Housing Act of 1949
* Dingell–Johnson Act (1950)
* Revenue Act of 1950
* Excess profits tax
* Unrelated Business Income Tax
* Revenue Act of 1951
* Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1952
* 1952 steel strike

Life|

* Early life and career
* Presidential Library, Museum, and gravesite
* Missouri Office and Courtroom
* Truman Committee
* 1944 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection
* The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace

Homes|

* Birthplace
* Harry S. Truman Farm Home
* Harry S. Truman home and National Historic Site
* Historic District
* Blair House
* Truman Little White House

Elections|

* United States Senate election in Missouri, 1934
* 1940
* Democratic National Convention 1944
* 1948
* 1944 United States presidential election
* 1948
* campaign
* "Dewey Defeats Truman"
* campaign song
* Ferdinand Magellan railcar
* 1952 Democratic Party presidential primaries

Legacy|

* Bibliography
* Truman Day
* Harry S Truman Building
* Truman Dam and Reservoir
* Harry S. Truman Scholarship
* Truman Sports Complex
* U.S. Postage stamps
* Statue of Harry S. Truman

Public image|

* Give 'em Hell, Harry! (1975 play and film)
* Harry Truman (1975 song by Chicago)
* Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur (1976 film)
* MacArthur (1977 film)
* Backstairs at the White House (1979 miniseries)
* Truman (1995 film)
* Truman (1997 documentary film)
* The First Lady (2022 TV series)
* Oppenheimer (2023 film)

Family|

* Bess Wallace Truman (wife)
* Margaret Truman (daughter)
* Martha Ellen Young Truman (mother)
* Clifton Truman Daniel (grandson)

* ← Franklin D. Roosevelt
* Dwight D. Eisenhower →

* ← Henry A. Wallace
* Alben W. Barkley →

* Category

Authority control databases |

* NARA

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