Medal of Honor Museum unveils 3.5 million dollar renovations

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD)- The long-awaited unveiling of the newly renovated Medal of Honor Museum took place this afternoon.

The museum is a key component of the USS Yorktown experience, and it got some major upgrades that officials tell us will help better tell America’s story, and the stories of soldiers who have received a Medal of Honor.

This project has been months in the making. It started back in September of last year, and it’s transformed the museum from a few pictures hanging on a wall, into an immersive experience.

It’s history you can see, hear and touch.

“What you see here is a labor of love,” Director of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, John Falkenberyy said.

The reimagined Medal of Honor Museum is riveting.

“We’re now able to show so many more of the artifacts that belonged to the medal of honor recipients, beyond their medal,” Falkenberry said.

It takes you into the lives of Medal of Honor recipients, what they went through in war, and their fight for our freedom. A 3.5 million dollar project that Falkenberry says was worth every penny.

“Once we knew we had the money and the space to do it, it was now, let’s put the creative minds into it and figure out what it’s going to look like,” Falkenberry said.

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for military valor one can receive. Out of the millions of people who have served in the US military, only around 3,500 people have been awarded a Medal of Honor.

“The men who wear the medal will tell you, they don’t wear it for themselves. They wear it for those who were not recognized for equally heroic deeds, or for their brothers and sisters that never came home,” Falkenberry said.

Falkenberry hopes that each person who steps into the museum comes away with a better understanding of the sacrifices our troops make every day.

The grand opening of the museum will be on May 25th, when it will be open to the public for tours.

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