After years of fundraising, design and construction, the public will get its first look at the nation's Medal of Honor museum on Saturday.
The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, located downtown on West Aquarium Way, features what organizers call the nation's largest collection of Medal of Honor history, including interactive displays, life-sized statues of medal recipients and authentic military equipment.
The center brings to life the stories of the hundreds of medal recipients, said Noah Long, vice president of construction. The opening exhibit, titled "Honoring the Sacrifice: Medals of Honor Through Time," will feature a collection of medals and the stories of their recipients and will run through May 13.
Visitors will trace the history of the award - from the certificates given to soldiers in the Mexican-American War to President Abraham Lincoln's creation of the medal through all the wars since, including the ongoing war in the Middle East.
When the nation formed, American leaders originally did not want a military medal because they wanted to differentiate themselves from European armies, where medals were common, Long said. When the medal was first created during the Civil War, it was given only to enlisted men, but was soon expanded to include officers, he said.
The medal, first awarded in 1863 for acts of valor near Chattanooga, is the highest military honor. Since its creation, nearly 3,500 have been awarded.
The 19,000-square-foot center will feature a classroom where members of the community can learn about the recipients and their shared values of citizenship, commitment, courage, integrity, patriotism and sacrifice.
More Info
The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, at 2 W. Aquarium Way, Suite 104, will open to the public at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb 22. Tickets for tours can be purchased online at www.mohhc.org/tickets.
Crews are putting the final touches on the museum this week, including placing the statue of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the Civil War surgeon and only woman to receive the award.
There is a special exhibit for Charles Coolidge, the Signal Mountain resident who held back the German military with a unit of 27 infantryman in World War II. Visitors can see footage of Coolidge receiving his Medal of Honor in the battlefield, as well as a filmed re-enactment of Coolidge's heroic stand in France.
The center officially opens to the public Saturday at 1 p.m. with a program featuring more than a dozen Medal of Honor recipients, local, state and national leaders beginning at 10 a.m.
Contact Wyatt Massey at wmassey@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249. Follow him on Twitter @news4mass.