The National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington opens to the general public on Tuesday, March 25.
ARLINGTON, Texas — From the very first announcement, Arlington celebrated its choice as home to the National Medal of Honor Museum, a museum and monument dedicated to the sacrifices of the 3,528 people who have received the military’s highest honor.
This weekend, with the arrival of 34 of those recipients, the celebrations of its completion begin.
The museum, its gallery suspended on five pillars representing branches of the U.S. military, has more than 100,000 square feet of space including 31,000 square feet dedicated to galleries that tell the history of the Medal of Honor and the stories of the American heroes who earned it.
The museum, nearing completion after three years of construction and situated next to Choctaw Stadium, also includes an auditorium and meeting spaces overlooking the Arlington Entertainment District. The entrance from AT&T Way includes a “Ring of Valor” etched with each of those 3,528 names.
“When you read a name you realize there’s a life well-lived behind every one of those letters,” said National Medal of Honor Museum CEO Chris Cassidy.
The gallery space, suspended several stories above ground, tells the story of each recipient — from the Civil War and the medal’s creation in 1863 to the war in Afghanistan. Stories include Clarence Edwin Sutton in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, Texas’ own Audie Murphy, and Herschel Woody Williams, the last WWII Medal of Honor recipient who died in 2022 at the age of 98.
“What the recipients did to receive the Medal of Honor, on some level, was done for all of us,” said museum curator Greg Waters. “So we are directly connected to those stories and we should in some way try to live up to them.”
Interactive exhibits include a chance to ask questions of Medal of Honor recipients and their recorded answers on video screens available at the touch of a button.
“We want to connect with young people. And as we say, to inspire them to live and lead with honor,” said Ellyn Metcalf, V.P. of Education for the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation.
This Saturday, the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation will hold a public celebration between the museum and Choctaw Stadium starting at 7 p.m. The family-friendly event will feature a live performance by Lee Greenwood and the U.S. Navy Band Commodores. The “Mission to Inspire Spectacular” will also include a fireworks and drone show.
The museum opens to the public Tuesday, March 25 with an opening day ceremony at 9:30 a.m.