Who was the first person to be awarded the Medal of Honor?
The first person (chronologically) to earn the Medal of Honor was Colonel Bernard JD Irwin, an army surgeon who rescued 60 men and a young boy who had been captured by an Apache Chief Cochise. He did this using only 14 other men in his squad. The event took place on February 13, 1861, but the Medal of Honor was not awarded until January 21, 1894.
