National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington now open to the public
The
National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington
is now open to the public. The Medal of Honor is our nation's highest honor for valor in combat.
Close to 200 people lined up outside the museum, waiting for the doors to open at 10 a.m. Many of the visitors were veterans, some coming from as far as Alabama and Colorado.
Seeing a permanent home for the stories of the Medal of Honor recipients brought up a lot of emotions.
"I have 105 guys' names on the Vietnam Wall that were in my company. Two of them are Medal of Honor recipients," said Richard Grady, an Army veteran from Plano.
He brought a bus of 75 veterans from Collin County to Arlington to experience the museum.
"So for them coming out here, it's different than coming out to a ballgame, different than coming out to a football game, a sporting event or a concert," he said. "This is a very humbling experience… This is a very sacred place for veterans, very sacred place for the military and the United States."
Since the Civil War, about 40 million Americans have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Less than 4,000 of them have received the Medal of Honor.
Charlie Garza, a Navy veteran from Grand Prairie, met one of the recipients, Commander Eugene Fluckey, 25 years ago. Seeing his name on display, along with the stories of all the other servicemembers who went far beyond the call of duty, moved Garza.
"It means that for the first time in my lifetime, we're truly starting to recognize the courage and the honor and the commitment necessary to defend this great nation of ours," he said.
Garza hopes it helps the next generation understand the true cost of the freedom we enjoy today.
Shoshana Adams, nine years old, said she learned a lot.
"A lot about history and how a lot of people sacrificed themselves to save lives," she said.
Both of her parents served in the Air Force. They brought the entire family out for the museum's opening.
"We always want to teach our children about the sacrifices others have made and why we chose to serve," said Ann Adams, an Air Force veteran from Midlothian.
By honoring and preserving the courage of military servicemembers past and present, we ensure that never forget the sacrifices they made.
"Just come out here," said Grady. "Take the time. Look at the stories. Watch the videos."
This week, admission is free for veterans. Tickets start at $30.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Veteran Salute: Making history, paving the way for women
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Refusing to stand on the sidelines, retired Air Force Brigadier General Deborah Rose worked hard and made history in the Sunflower State. Rose joined the U.S. Air Force in 1983 as a nurse. Early on in her career she spent 30 days in Saudi Arabia where the American service women had to abide by the same rules set for the women who lived there. 'We couldn't drive,' she said. 'If we wanted to go down to the souk, we had to have a male go with us. You know, things that we wouldn't think about. And we were at that point, we were required to wear the black abaya that the dress part of that.' One of Deborah's goals was to find a new position every three years. When that time came, she was successful in moving up the ranks. Veteran Salute: Fueling the frontlines of Iraq So successful that, in 2007, she made history as the first woman to become a brigadier general in the Kansas National Guard. 'The purpose was to break the glass window and make sure other people were able to go through it,' she said. Now, Rose said she knows many female colonel's here in Kansas who would make a great brigadier general, to follow in the path that she paved for so many. In her 28-year long career, she said she's so proud of working with the airmen that she did. 'They are the true guardians of our country,' Rose said. 'And I've just been blessed all the way around with wonderful people to work with.' For more Veteran Salute, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Onion
an hour ago
- The Onion
Study: More Single Millennials Settling For Parrot Who Can Dial 911
NEW YORK—Shedding light on the demographic shifts that have transformed the generation's relationships, a Hunter College study published Monday revealed that more single millennials were settling for a parrot who could dial 911. 'We're finding that an increasing number of millennials are forgoing a serious romantic partner in favor of a cockatiel or macaw who can reliably peck out a number for emergency services,' said Sandra Brooks, a co-author of the study, which surveyed 12,000 Americans to determine that far more individuals born between 1981 and 1996 now saw scattering seed on their phone screen to train a parrot as their most realistic option if they wished to experience something that approached companionship. 'Many respondents said they were excited to finally get off the grind of dating apps, and they explained that living with a colorfully plumed tropical bird who could get an ambulance sent to their apartment was, frankly, good enough. Some female participants even felt that they were happier with a parrot than a human partner, given that such birds could trill out a little song and would never ghost them. All the better if they could also screech, 'She's dying, she's dying, she's dying,' to alert a neighbor.' The study added that many millennials who could not easily find a parrot were also perfectly fine with a street pigeon who could mistakenly tap out 9-3-9.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
How a WWII submariner took the fight directly to the Japanese
By the middle of 1944, United States Navy submarines had weathered hard times of unreliable torpedoes and a necessary learning process to matured weapons of war, aided by onboard radar. At the same time, their Japanese opponents had yet to fully address the threat that these underwater marauders posed to the ships that brought oil and other foreign resources from their far-flung empire. So fully developed were the American subs that Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, commander in chief of naval forces, Pacific (CINCPAC), had started the year off by adding destroyers to his priority lists, so as to accelerate the elimination of America's principal enemies. Like their German counterparts, the Americans were also operating in wolf packs of two or more, while the Japanese were modifying and arming numerous varieties of other ships, such as minesweepers, to make up their sub-hunter losses. A dramatic example of the situation in 1944 began in mid-June, when three boats from Submarine Attack Group 9, named 'Parks' Pirates' for their commander, Cmdr. Lewis Smith Parks, departed Pearl Harbor to prowl the waters from Formosa to Luzon. They were led by Cmdr. Lawson P. 'Red' Ramage on Parche, followed by Steelhead and Hammerhead. The Massachusetts native graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy as an ensign in July 1931, with his first attempt to get a submarine assignment initially blocked due to an eye injury. His second attempt, in which he memorized the eye chart, succeeded in getting him aboard S-29 in January 1936. He was a radio and sound officer at Pearl Harbor in March 1941, and he was there when Japanese carrier planes raided it on Dec. 7. On June 6, 1944, Parks' Pirates embarked on their first patrol, with modest initial results for Hammerhead: a sampan destroyed on June 9, followed by a coastal oil carrier damaged. On July 29, Hammerhead had to curtail its sweep when it came under air attack, returning for repairs at Fremantle, Australia, on Aug. 17. At 10:30 a.m. on July 30, Steelhead was off Formosa when it sighted smoke, which, upon investigation, revealed an enemy convoy escorted by aircraft. Unable to attack until nightfall, Steelhead maintained contact until 8:15 p.m., when it shot off a message summoning Parche, relaying the enemy's course and speed. Ramage responded at full speed, joining Steelhead at midnight to make surface attacks. The latter commenced hostilities at 3:32 a.m. with a bow spread of six torpedoes that struck a freighter, then a tanker. Steelhead then turned to launch four stern 'fish,' while two flares signaled the Japanese alarm. Ramage had been trying to set up a flank attack at about 3 a.m. when he encountered an escort vessel. Enemy flares revealed three such escorts darting about, two of which were between Parche and the convoy, and one bearing down on the sub. Ramage put his boat into a circular maneuver that brought it astern of the escort, confusing the enemy. 'Parche was now between the escorts and the convoy,' Ramage reported afterward, 'but while this maneuver was going on, the entire [enemy] convoy had reversed its field and now was headed directly at Parche.' Ramage aimed for an oncoming medium freighter, but he overestimated the range and suddenly found himself a mere 450 yards from his intended target. A hard right turn avoided disaster by only 200 yards. Ramage then shot off two torpedoes. His freighter target dodged them, but in so doing it blocked the advance of an escort, preventing it from attacking the sub while allowing it to get off two bow shots, one of which hit the freighter. Five minutes later, Ramage brought Parche into position to attack two tankers. All four of his bow torpedoes struck home on the first tanker, which sank immediately. The second tanker, hit twice, slowed but kept on moving. At this point, Parche was in the middle of a milling mass of cargo ships and escorts, all ships involved behaving more like patrol torpedo boats in their half-blind attempts to ram their assailant. As for Ramage, placing his boat in the center of it all, he too alternated his direction and launched torpedoes as the opportunity offered, while his torpedo crew rushed new ones into place. At 4:43 a.m., Ramage was preparing to dodge two escorts when he saw a small merchantman bearing down on him from the starboard bow, determined to ram. Ordering full right rudder, he avoided collision by just 50 feet, only to find two escorts at either hand and a passenger cargo vessel coming on to ram. Unable to dodge this one, Ramage went for broke and fired three torpedoes in a down-the-throat shot. His first fish missed, but the other two hit, stopping the ship in its tracks. Ramage turned hard left, then fired a stern shot that struck the cargo ship amidships. At 4:42 a.m., it sank. After a look around, Ramage reported: 'There were still several small craft and escorts around, but no worthwhile targets that we could see. I decided to put some distance between us and this hornet's nest.' While Parche was fighting its way into a fiery hell and back, Whelchel and Steelhead were also busy on the sidelines — sending four torpedoes at a troop carrier at 4:49 a.m. and another four at a freighter. Both subs subsequently disengaged, having suffered neither damage nor casualties in the 46-minute melee. A postwar assessment credited Steelhead with the 7,169-ton freighter Dakar Maru and the 8,195-ton transport Fuso Maru. Both subs were jointly credited with the 8,990-ton transport Yoshino Maru. Parche emerged from its solo torpedo duel with credit for the 10,238-ton tanker Koei Maru and 4,471-ton passenger-cargo ship Manko Maru. Both submarine officers were decorated for their outstanding performance that night. Steelhead's commander, David Whelchel, was awarded the Silver Star, while Ramage received the Medal of Honor from President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Jan. 10, 1945 — not so much for the tonnage his sub had destroyed, considerable though it had been, as for the wild way he had achieved it. Asked what drove him throughout the encounter, he simply said, 'I got mad.' Ramage continued to rise up the Navy ranks, reaching the command of Military Sea Transport in Washington and retiring in 1969 as a vice admiral. He died in Bethesda, Maryland, on April 15, 1990, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
