A grand total of 3,500 U.S. servicemembers have been awarded the medal since its inception in 1863.
It’s encouraging to see that bipartisanship still does shine through on occasion in the American political process, particularly when it comes to military veterans. This latest bipartisan beneficence was specifically conferred upon Medal of Honor (MOH) recipients.
The news comes to us from Fox News reporter Morgan Philips in a story republished on MSN on or about February 28, 2025, titled “House unanimously passes bill to quadruple the pensions of Medal of Honor recipients.” To wit:
“Legislation that would quadruple the pensions of Medal of Honor recipients passed the House unanimous bipartisan support on Wednesday … The bill sailed through the House 424-0. If passed by the Senate and signed by the president, would boost pay for those who receive the nation’s highest military award from $16,880 per year to $67,500 per year … Proponents of the bill, led by Reps. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and Chris Pappas, D-N.H., say the pay would ease the financial burden for medal recipients who often traverse the country for speaking engagements on their own dime … The increased pensions are paid for through disability compensation out of Veterans’ Affairs funding. Costs associated with the pay boost would be offset by extending a limitation on pensions for veterans with no spouses or dependents from 2031 to 2033.”
This, combined with Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Doug Collins’s address to veterans on February 13, 2025, is doubly reassuring: “I’m the Secretary of VA, and I’m telling you right now … benefits aren’t getting cut. In fact, we are actually giving and improving services.” Collins hastened to add that the Veterans Benefits Administration is clearing cases faster than ever and that the VA remains mission-focused by doing what it is supposed to do.
Current Veterans’ Benefits Financial Figures
To put that financial boost in perspective, let’s take a look at current veterans disability compensation rates. Assuming a veteran has no dependents, the disability rating scale starts at 10 percent, which equates to a payment of $175.51 per month, maxing out at $3,831.30 for a 100 percent awardee. The single most lucrative jump occurs between the 90th—$2,297.96 monthly—and 100th percentiles.
Current Surviving MOH Recipients
For any deficit hawks out there reading this, you need not worry about this boost in MOH recipients significantly adding to the already astronomical U.S. national debt: as these words are being typed, there are only sixty-one living Medal of Honor recipients, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. A grand total of 3,500 U.S. servicemembers have been awarded the medal since its inception in 1863. So then, these sixty-one heroes receiving $67,500 per year would add up to a grand total of $4,117,500.00 per year—barely a drop in the bucket in the Federal budget.
As far as I can ascertain, the oldest living MOH recipient is ninety-five-year-old retired U.S. Army Colonel Bruce Perry Crandall, who earned his proverbial spurs in the Vietnam War, more specifically as a Huey helicopter pilot (official callsign “Ancient Serpent 6”) during the Battle of Ia Drang on November 14, 1965. Meanwhile, the youngest member of this gallery of heroes is medically retired U.S. Marine Corps Corporal William Kyle Carpenter, who received his medal for his actions in Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2010.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
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