New Heritage Trail Enables Americans to Follow 'in the Footsteps of Heroes'

Medal of Honor Valor Trail™ Taps into the Power of Place to Connect with Those Who Earned our Nation's Highest Honor

WASHINGTON , March 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- During events in Arlington, Va., and Charleston, S.C., to mark National Medal of Honor Day, the American Battlefield Trust (the Trust) and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society (the Society today announced a new initiative to tell the inspiring and often harrowing tales of the brave Americans who have earned the Medal of Honor.  

The Medal of Honor Valor Trail™ will weave the stories of the nation's highest decoration for valor with the places most deeply connected with Medal of Honor recipients – battlefields and historic sites, hometowns and burial places, namesake sites, monuments and museums. The envisioned trail will span centuries — from the Civil War through the present — and continents, showcasing the diverse universe of inspirational recipients who have worn the Medal. Relevant sites may nominate online for inclusion in the growing network. 

"There is no higher honor that our country can bestow than the Medal of Honor," said American Battlefield Trust President David Duncan. "It is synonymous with the best of who we are as Americans and the ideals of valor, patriotism and self-sacrifice. But the dramatic stories behind the awarding of many of these medals are rarely told at the places where they unfolded." 

Medal of Honor recipient and Society President Leroy Petry agreed: "The Society's mission is to promote the legacy of the Medal of Honor, which we do by telling the stories of the Medal of Honor through a variety of education and outreach programs. The Valor Trail will make our efforts even more tangible by combining Medal of Honor stories with places in our own communities and places we can visit." 

The new initiative is the outgrowth of an ongoing partnership between the Trust and the Society. It will include recipients of all eras and a wide variety of relevant sites, stretching far beyond battlefields to entice visitation and create points of community pride. It will demonstrate that although few Americans have the opportunity to visit Iwo Jima or the mountains of Afghanistan, those who sacrificed in such remote places are nonetheless in their thoughts at the battlefields, historic sites, cemeteries, museums and memorials that are accessible to them. 

The new Medal of Honor Valor Trail™ website is in the early stage of development but already helps visualize the way that valor will be put on a map. As it grows, the Valor Trail will help modern Americans connect with true heroes of the past. By inviting them to follow in the footsteps of heroes, it offers a new understanding of the significance of those events and a more deeply held appreciation for the very real and human people who lived through them. It offers us something to aspire to, the chance to live up to our highest promise and purpose as a nation and as individuals. 

Visit www.medalorhonorday.com for special event livestreams.

SOURCE American Battlefield Trust