Daven Hiskey looked at a couple of the highest honors that the UK and the US can bestow to compare and contrast them, namely, a British knighthood and the American military's Medal of Honor. This may seen silly because the two are very different and really have nothing in common besides being a high honor, but we can learn something new about each of them.
As we’ve covered before in great detail, it turns out getting knighted entitles you to just about nothing, other than getting to attend a special ceremony where you’re knighted and then afterwards you can adopt a title, such as “Sir”. That said, there are more intangible perks, such as a slightly higher profile, more impressive looking resume, potential invites to parties one would otherwise not have been, quicker seating at some exclusive restaurants, etc. But, on the whole, you officially get basically nothing.
This lack of official perks is in keeping with historical precedent, with the title of Knight throughout history being largely ceremonial in nature, especially in the United Kingdom. For example, as noted by the Royal Collection Trust, the title in ancient times didn’t confer any monetary benefit upon a person since anyone granted the title of Knight would, to quote them, “Be expected to have the financial ability to support the honour of knighthood, so that he could provide himself with arms, armour, horses and the required number of armed followers to render military service to his Sovereign for a minimum period each year.”
Knighthood can be given for pretty much any reason, as long as the recipient is a citizen of the United Kingdom. The Medal of Honor is a completely different story. They are not easy to achieve, being given to members of the military who have distinguished themselves through acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. Beginning with World War II, nearly half of the medals have been awarded posthumously. But for recipients who survived their acts of valor, the rewards are pretty sweet, which you can read about at Today I Found Out.
(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
