The following is a release from the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation:
The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation today released a dynamic video featuring actor and Museum Foundation spokesman, Gary Sinise and several living Medal of Honor recipients speaking about the design plans for the museum and its important educational mission.
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The video also reveals stunning 3-D illustrations of the museum, based on designs from world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, as well as aerial views of the site and a virtual tour of the interior. The new museum and education center will be built at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, S.C., on the eastern shore of Charleston Harbor.
“The museum will serve as a testament to the importance of the Medal of Honor in America’s history,” said Sinise. “Medal recipients represent the bravest and best of the nation. Visitors to the museum, especially members of the next generation, will be inspired by the stories of Medal recipients to place service above self and to incorporate the ideals and values the Medal represents into their own lives.”
The video includes archival photos of past Presidents presenting the Medals to recipients, in addition to interviews with Medal recipients, including former Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts and retired Major Generals Patrick Brady (USA) and James Livingston (USMC).
When completed, the National Medal of Honor Museum will be a 107,000 square facility with three components: a pavilion that will house the Museum entrance and lobby; an exhibit space that will feature eight permanent and two special galleries; and a chapel for public and private events. Throughout the Museum, visitors will have the opportunity to meet, interact with, and learn from Medal recipients through multimedia and interactive elements. Exhibits will showcase the Medal’s evolution, honoring and promoting the ideals and values it embodies. The museum will also offer conference and classroom space to accommodate groups of all ages with on-site and distance learning programs, including the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Character Development Program and a new Leadership Institute.
The nation’s highest military award for valor in combat, the Medal of Honor is presented for service “above and beyond the call of duty.” Since the first Medal was awarded in 1863, fewer than 3,500 have been presented. The new museum, designed by Safdie Architects of Boston, MA, along with museum planning firm Gallagher & Associates of Silver Spring, MD, will for the first time bring together the story of the nation’s highest military honor, all of its recipients, and the wars in which they fought.
“We are excited to share this video, which brings to life the state-of-the-art facility that will inspire current and future generations and promote the ideals of courage, integrity, patriotism, leadership and sacrifice,” said Robert C. Wilburn, president and CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation.
In addition to the video, museum design concepts are available for viewing here and a fact sheet summarizing the key architectural and exhibit design concepts can be found here.
