During Women’s History Month, we must remember the women who have paved the way for others and achieved great feats in times when women were considered unequal. It might be shocking to hear, but the Medal of Honor has only been awarded to one woman out of 3,517 recipients. That’s right. To this day, only one woman has earned the citation.
The Medal of Honor is the most prestigious military award presented to those who demonstrate exceptional courage in combat, unwavering dedication to their country, and unquestionable valor during wartime. The Medal of Honor was created in 1862 after President Abraham Lincoln approved provisions for the Navy’s Medal of Valor. The military began awarding them almost immediately.
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was one of those honored with the highly coveted medal. She came from a family of abolitionists who believed in equal pay and equal rights for all. Education was her top priority in life, and she became a teacher to support herself while pursuing her studies at Syracuse Medical College in Upstate New York. She aimed to help mankind—and she didn’t let her sex get in the way of accomplishments.
Walker graduated, with honors, in 1855 and was the only woman in her class. When the Civil War broke out, she decided to try to sign up for the Union Army as a commissioned medical officer. Unfortunately, she was denied because of her gender. However, this did not dissuade her convictions. Instead, she worked as an unpaid volunteer and nurse in the U.S. Patent Office Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Later, she secured a position as a field surgeon on the front lines. Walker worked for the Union for two years, performing surgeries and tending to the war’s casualties. It wasn’t until 1863 that she was awarded a commission as a “Contract Acting Assistant Surgeon (civilian).”
Surprisingly, Walker was allowed to wear the officer’s uniform and was known to carry two pistols on her hip, just in case. On April 10, 1864, Walker accidentally crossed enemy lines and was captured by Rebel soldiers and held captive in Richmond, Virginia. After four months of captivity, she was traded back to the Union, man-for-man, in exchange for a Confederate officer.
She continued to serve as a surgeon in Louisville, Kentucky until the end of the Civil War. President Andrew Johnson presented Walker with the Medal of Honor in 1865 for her selfless service. In 1917, when the eligibility requirements were changed to include “actual combat,” Walker’s medal was rescinded.
The government called for her to return the medal, but Walker refused to budge. She continued to wear it on her lapel until she died in 1919. It wasn’t until 1977 that President Jimmy Carter ordered an Army board to reassess the situation. They reinstated her Medal of Honor, during which they acknowledged her “distinguished gallantry, self-sacrifice, patriotism, dedication, and unflinching loyalty to her country, despite the apparent discrimination because of her sex.”
