Who is the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor?

As we approach the nation's 250th birthday, PBS News is looking at some notable, but lesser-known, people and moments in American military history. The Medal of Honor is the highest military honor for valor that U.S. service members can receive, and, by law, it is awarded only to those who distinguish themselves "through conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.” But of the more than 3,500 Medals of Honor awarded, only one recipient has been a woman: Dr. Mary Edwards Walker. PBS News' Cecilia Lallmann dives into Walker's time as a surgeon during the Civil War, which led to her historic achievement and fight for recognition. This post was produced by Cecilia Lallmann, Shyla Duff, Julia Griffin, Travis Daub and Dan Cooney. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newshour/