The sculpture on top of the monument was created by Charles Parks. It depicts Sgt. William Harvey Carney, who was the first African-American to receive the distinction, for his gallantry in saving the regimental colors (American Flag) during the Battle of Fort Wagner in 1863, and Private Milton L. Olive, who was the first black recipient of the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War, when he sacrificed himself, age 18, by smothering a live grenade.