The Congressional Medal of

The CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL

of HONOR

SOCIETY

By Jim Lamb

A MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION FOR MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS

In 1958, chrome-tipped tailfins sliced through the air of America’s highways, Rock ’n’ Roll music buzzed from speakers of AM radios, applique Poodles danced on colorful flowing skirts, while hot-rodders with greased hair and black leather jackets cruised downtown Main Streets.

Meanwhile, the Cold War lurked in the background, reminding Americans that the peace and prosperity they were enjoying was never more than a news cycle away from wars and rumors of wars.

There were hundreds of living Medal of Honor Recipients in the summer of that year, and on Aug. 14, Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States and former Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, signed Public Law 85-642 to charter the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, the membership organization of these living Medal gof Honor Recipients.

One might consider the Society to be the most elite membership organization in our country, if not the world. Yet the primary benefits of this organization were not conferred exclusively for its members. Rather, they are intended for all who enjoy the freedom of U.S. citizenship.

Along with supporting the formation of a bond between Recipients of the Medal of Honor and ensuring appropriate aid for Recipients’ widows and children, the mission given to the Society was to protect and preserve the dignity, honor and name of the Medal, inspire and stimulate youth to become good citizens, and to foster and promote patriotism.

Today, the Society continues to carry out these promises through programs that are dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Medal of Honor and its Recipients, inspiring and educating Americans and promoting the values associated with the Medal: courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism. They do this through the Society’s proprietary programs:

ARCHIVES AND PRESERVATION PROGRAMS

Under the oversight of an Archivist & Historical Collections Manager, the Society maintains its Medal of Honor Museum, The Medal of Honor Archives & Library’s, research and resources, are a robust database of the Medal’s Recipients that is shared with other organizations and museums with an extensive video library and continual additions, such as the oral Living History Project, and a growing collection of blog posts. Most of these resources are available to the public for free on the Society’s website: cmohs.org.

VALOR OUTREACH PROGRAM

Medal of Honor Recipients continue to serve by connecting with a variety of groups. Through in-person and virtual events, Recipients share their unique insights on character, leadership, patriotism, integrity, resiliency, and adjustment to civilian life. They offer their experiences and unique perspectives to engage, motivate and inspire. g

MEDAL OF HONOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

The Medal of Honor Character Development Program is a free resource that teaches courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship and patriotism to students through lessons developed by teachers for teachers. Both the elementary and secondary resources of the program teach students to recognize and exemplify these values, making them useful as Social Emotional Learning resource, a classroom management system, or as a tool to create a positive and healthy school culture. These character education lessons feature extraordinary military and civilian stories, providing students with concrete examples by which to live.

CITIZEN HONORS AWARDS FOR VALOR AND SERVICE

Since 2007, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society has selected U.S. citizens and organizations to receive Citizen Honors Awards each year. There is one organizational award category for community service and five awards for individual service and valor.

A panel assembled by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society considers all nominations and selects national finalists. Then, a second panel made up exclusively of Medal of Honor Recipients—Americans whose actions have truly defined the words “courage” and “selfless service”—selects individuals and organizations from those finalists to receive the Citizen Honors Awards.

CARRYING OUT THE MISSION

With the help of a small staff, Medal of Honor Recipients continue to serve the nation through its programs and by overseeing the work of preserving the stories of the Medal, its history, and its Recipients—3,515 to date. This mission has become increasingly important as the number of living Recipients continues to become smaller. There are fewer than 70 Medal of Honor Recipients alive today. The Society’s staff also helps the Recipients fulfil the organization’s mission of supporting one another and Recipients’ widows and children. Overseen by a Registered Nurse, the Society’s Healthcare Advice and Advocacy Program provides a dedicated, on-call resource to help Recipients and their families with health, medical, insurance, benefit, and life-care planning issues and questions.

Travel and logistics coordination provides an on-call resource to help Recipients with travel and needs to facilitate outreach efforts, and educational assistance for Medal of Honor Recipients’ children and scholarships for veterans is also managed.

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society headquarters office and the Medal of Honor Museum is located at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, on board the USS Yorktown. As part of Public Law 106-83, the Medal of the Honor Memorial Act, the Museum was designated as one of three national Medal of Honor sites.

As with the Society’s membership, its board of directors is composed solely of Medal of Honor Recipients. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that does not receive funding from any government agencies. Instead, it relies on private donations to operate.

The Medal of Honor Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, helps to advance the mission of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society through financial support. The Foundation is a 4-Star Rated Charity as rated by Charity Navigator. Through the Society, Recipients remain as deeply committed to serving our country in peace as they did in war.

Since that August day when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed that Congressional charter, the bond between Medal of Honor Recipients and a grateful nation has been nurtured. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society has strengthened and expanded that bond by protecting and upholding the dignity and honor of the Medal and its Recipients.