The National Medal of Honor Museum will be built in Arlington, Texas, the museum’s foundation announced Tuesday.
With nearly 70 recipients hailing from the region and nearly 1.8 million veterans and active-duty military residing in Texas, Joe Daniels, president and CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation said in the announcement that Arlington was the optimal location to build the museum showcasing the nation’s highest medal for valor.
More than 3,500 military service members have received the nation’s highest military honor since the first medal was presented in 1863. The National Medal of Honor Museum will offer an experience that draws personal and emotional connections to Medal of Honor recipients and their inspiring stories, according to the foundation’s press release.
The foundation is also working with the Texas’ congressional delegation to create a monument in the nation’s capital for Medal of Honor recipients, the announcement states.
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The museum was supposed to be built in its current location in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, aboard the USS Yorktown, but Arlington officials made a final pitch to incorporate the museum in the city’s growing entertainment district, according to the Charleston Post and Courier.
The design for the museum in South Carolina started over last year after the foundation spent $3.5 million preparing the initial concept of a pentagon-shaped building. According to the Post and Courier, the foundation started a national search for alternative locations last year, citing difficulties with Mount Pleasant officials. Denver was also in the running for the museum’s relocation, according to the Colorado Sun.
The museum is expected to open in 2024.
