Honoring America’s Heroes

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR GISD STUDENTS

The Medal of Honor is our nation’s highest military award for valor to be bestowed upon a member of the United States military. Our nation has only awarded 3,510 Medals of Honor since it was initiated after the Civil War.

When the Medal of Honor Host City (MOHHC) Program began, there were 150 living MOH recipients. At that time, there was a 1 in 600,000 chance that a person would ever meet a Medal of Honor recipient in their lifetime. However, Gainesville, Texas is unique.

In 2001, Gainesville, Texas became the only city in America to annually host our nation’s highest decorated heroes to promote patriotism and celebrate the heroism of the recipients. Gainesville is now known as America’s “Medal of Honor Host City.”

For the past 21 years, the students of Gainesville ISD have had the privilege of spending time with our nation’s highest decorated military heroes. To date, Gainesville has hosted 56 of our nation’s 64 living Medal of Honor recipients. Our students have the opportunity to interact with living heroes from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Middle East/Afghanistan.

Medal of Honor week, held annually in April, is full of community events including a banquet, tree dedication, Patriot Dinner, parade, and book signing. However, visiting our schools is what the recipients love the most about coming to Gainesville. ΩΩOn their first full day in town, they spend time with our students in our schools. They first visit either Gainesville Intermediate or the Junior High and then

Gainesville High School. Depending on the campus, the recipients will either visit classrooms or participate in a campus assembly.

In all of the campus visits, the recipients are able to talk to students and share their stories. The students in turn get one-on-one opportunities to ask questions and seek wisdom from our highest decorated heroes and learn about the character it took these brave men to serve their country. The MOH recipients value education and character development. The best way they know how to give back for the life they have lived is to invest in the youth of our nation. The recipients consider it an honor to spend time with the students of Gainesville. That is powerful.

This past year, seven Medal of Honor Recipients visited Gainesville ISD, and they are already looking forward to the next visit in April 2023. To learn more about the Medal of Honor Host City Program, visit medalofhonorhostcity.com.