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THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR MEMORIAL

The Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial honors all the people receiving the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is America's highest award for military valor. It is bestowed on those who have performed an act of such conspicuous gallantry as to rise up and beyond the call of duty. As a symbol of heroism, it has no equal in American life. Only nineteen people have received the medal twice. One woman has received the Medal of Honor. The Navy medal was the first to be struck, followed very soon by the Army version of this award. There are three different Medals of Honor today. They are the original star shape established in 1861 which the Navy Marine Corps and Coast Guard have retained, a wreath version of the medal designed in 1904, and an altered wreath version for the Air Force designed in 1963 and adopted in 1965.

Throughout day and night, recorders at the Medal of Honor Memorial tell stories of individual courage, heroism, and the human spirit. The Memorial was dedicated on May 28, 1999, the last Memorial Day weekend of the 20th century. The Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial is the nation's only memorial honoring all recipients of the Medal of Honor. The memorial represents different conflicts ranging from the Civil War through Somalia and is composed of 27 curved walls of glass, each between 7 and 10 feet high. Each day at dusk the Memorial's sound system plays recorded stories of Medal winners or of the conflicts in which they fought. The Memorial is located on the north bank of the Central Canal in White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis.