Medal of Honor "winners"? WTF?

[Buck]

At our paper, which has a large military readership base, this topic is addressed this in our stylebook. Medals of Honor are awarded and received, never won.

For those worried about active voice, "received the Medal of Honor" works. And when you think about it, avoiding the verb "win" only makes sense. This is not a prize that is sought after by the recipients. If anything, it's an easy enough guideline to follow, and it will prevent you from ever having to answer dozens of e-mails from retired colonels and sergeants pointing out your mistake.

My point was just one of active voice vs. passive voice.
It's also about connotation. 'Received' is an active verb, but it's connotation is passive.

 

[Double J]

So if you're Muslim, do you "win" the 72 virgins, or do you "earn" them? ;D