The Medal of Honor, Combat Orientations and Latent Role Structure in the United States Military

AbstractThis study presents data on activities for which the Congressional Medal of Honor was presented. We identify two combat orientations among military personnel, which we label war winning and soldier saving. The former is most clearly associated with officers, the latter with low-ranking enlisted men. We suggest that this social-psychological orientation corresponds to a latent role structure within the military based upon a military ethic, and that the Medal of Honor rewards enactment of this latent role structure.