4 Concealed Stories -THe Medals of Honor
4 Concealed Stories -The Medals of Honor 1. Why were the Irish awarded so many Medals of Honor As noted above, Irish-Americans have disproportionately received the highest percentage of Medal of Honor awards. The Irish have a long history of military service in the U.S. As far back as the American Revolution, the Irish played a significant role in the war. During this war, Ireland was part of the British Empire, and therefore, many Irishmen served in the British Army in North America and also volunteered to fight on the side of the Americans. As the war expanded, and after our alliance with France, Irishmen formed the Irish Volunteers, a militia formed to fight for Ireland’s independence. At the time of the American Revolution, the Irish comprised an estimated quarter of America’s 2 million population. But our stock stories about the Founding Fathers of this country and the Patriots feature only Angl...