Saturday, March 25, was Medal of Honor Day — marking the 160th anniversary of the first medals being awarded to Andrews’ Raiders, whose irregular operation exploits 200 miles behind Confederate lines were immortalized as The Great Locomotive Chase.
Since then, a total of 3,516 men – and one woman – have been awarded the nation’s highest honor for valor, their individual citations describing an act far beyond the call of duty. When viewed collectively, as on a map, they tell a much broader story about the exceptional Americans who, generation after generation, have answered the nation’s call to service.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society's John Falkenbury and Medal of Honor recipient Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Pitts (Ret.) were among the first to interact with the new display at the Medal of Honor Museum at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum.
Few Americans can visit Iwo Jima, the Chosin Reservoir or the mountains of Afghanistan, but the American Battlefield Trust and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society are committed to marrying history with the latest technology to allow anyone to get to know these patriots. We’ve teamed up through the Medal of Honor Valor Trail™ initiative to place a first-of-its-kind interactive exhibit at the Medal of Honor Museum at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, outside Charleston, S.C., allowing visitors to explore these places of valor around the globe – and the warriors who hallowed that ground with their exceptional actions.
Exciting in its own right, the new exhibit is also the precursor to a broader reimagining of the Society’s Medal of Honor Museum in the coming years, thanks to a major leadership gift from the Medal of Honor Leadership and Education Center announced last week. We are thrilled to be part of this dynamic and forward-thinking museum community and hope you will pay the exhibit a visit, should you find yourself in Charleston!
More than 20 Medal of Honor recipients came to Washington, D.C., to mark the anniversary with a special wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Trust leadership and staff were honored to join that august group as special guests, including at a welcome luncheon.
Medal of Honor Day Events
During an evening dinner ceremony, the Society presented six ordinary Americans with its 2023 Citizen Honors Awards, demonstrating that the values inherent in the Medal of Honor — courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship and patriotism — can be embodied by each of us. Congratulations to this year’s winners!
Medal of Honor Recipient and Congressional Medal of Honor Society President Leroy Petry commented, “Ordinary people do extraordinary things. There are inspiring acts of service, sacrifice and heroism happening every day all over our country. Service and sacrifice don’t require wearing a military uniform.”