In Honor of Medal of Honor Day

Today is the National Medal of Honor Day. The Medal of Honor is the highest military award for valor in combat. Each branch has its own version of the medal.

Charleston, South Carolina is home to the The Medal of Honor Museum, aboard the USS Yorktown at Patriot Point. I highly recommend a visit sometime. I taped the movie that is shown at the museum because the quotes of the surving MOH recipients are just amazing. I think the one that really gets me is the gentleman that says, " The honor of the Medal of Honor is that a handful of young men that was with you at a difficult time thought you was worthy of it."

A couple years ago, the Dunham family shared the MOH flag presentation ceremony with guests at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Their son, Jason Dunham was the second recipient of the MOH from combat in Iraq and the first Marine to receive it for combat in Iraq. This is video I took of the ceremony. At the time, Captain Trent Gibson, who had been Dunham's company commander in Iraq, delivered one of the best speeches I have heard. I try to quote him when I stop my tours at the MOH wall in the museum. One of his opening remarks will always stand out to me. "All that we have has been given to us. What we do with what has been given us is how we honor those who gave."