What would happen if a Medal of Honor recipient had to be a part of the witness protection program?

Would still have any benefits and MOST importantly the right to own and wear the medal?What would happen if a Medal of Honor recipient had to be a part of the witness protection program?
He will always have the right to wear his medal...



And yes he would still receive his benefits because one of the stipulations of being in the witness protection program is that you change your name..So he would have a brand new identity.What would happen if a Medal of Honor recipient had to be a part of the witness protection program?
A Medal of Honor recipient has displayed valor above and beyond the call of duty. This is the only way this decoration can be earned.



Once the decoration has been earned and awarded it belongs permanently to the recipient. Some years ago there was a short story about a man in World War II who joined the Army under a false name and performed an act worthy of the Medal of Honor, but refused it because the identity he had assumed was one he felt unworthy of the award.



This was fiction, but the situation is possible. I believe the best answer is that the Medal is the property of the United States and it is awarded to a person, not a name. Were I a Medal of Honor recipient and were I to be placed in the witness protection program, I would put the Medal away in a safe place and show it only to my closest and most trusted friends and family.



They and I would be the ones who would value it most.What would happen if a Medal of Honor recipient had to be a part of the witness protection program?
Desert Viking is wrong. Admittance to the Witness Protection doesn't have anything to do with admitting guilt to anything. The key word there is witness. If someone is a key witness to something that would involve leaving bad guys on the street who might go after the witness then they can be protected with a new identity. A MOH recipient would presumably work with the U.S. Marshall's and the government to create some way to obtain his monetary benefits. He would still have the medal in his possession but he couldn't wear it or display it or utilize the other benefits such as government air transportation without giving away his real identity so the medal would remain his secret.
If he were retired from the military he would probably lose his pension since assignment to the Federal Witness Protection Program presupposes admission of guilt to a Federal felony with no imprisonment, so as to coax the person into being a witness against others. But, he would continue to have the right to wear the medal.