Battle Creek VA Honors Local MoH Heroes
March 25th is National Medal of Honor (MoH) Day, which was created to honor the heroism and sacrifice of MoH recipients for the United States, including those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The holiday has been celebrated since 1991, when George H. W. Bush signed Public Law 101-564 on November 15, 1990, which was passed by the 101st United States Congress in November 1990, and created it.
The Battle Creek VA Medical Center names its streets after local MoH recipients. There are currently 11 streets of the medical center’s campus helping to honor their legacies and sacrifices, spanning across all wars and conflicts dating back to the Civil War.
“As we are here to serve our nations brave men and women who have worn the cloth of our nation, we are also committed to recognize those who went above and beyond in situations where they understood that their own life and safety would not be guaranteed,” said Michelle Martin, Battle Creek VA Medical Center, Executive Director. “As part of the effort to ensure they will never be forgotten, we want every Veteran, staff member and visitor to this facility to see those names whenever they come and visit our campus for their health services.”
National Medal of Honor Day was established by Congress to “foster public appreciation and recognition of Medal of Honor Recipients.” March 25th was chosen because it was on that date in 1863 that the first Medals of Honor were presented to six members of Andrews’ Raiders.
The most recent road at the medical center to be named after a Medal of Honor recipient is for U.S. Army Pfc. James C. McCloughan, who is one of the 61 MoH recipients still living.
In an article from the U.S. Army on July 19, 2018, McCloughan said, “This [medal] doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the 89 men who went into that battle, whether they came out or not. I'm just a caretaker of it."
To commemorate this special occasion, Public Affairs has crafted a display of Medal of Honor photos, which is currently housed in the remodeled walkway inside Building 2, where staff and visitors can learn more about local MoH recipients.
Interested in learning more about the MoH, visit their site here.