Indianapolis is hosting its first Medal of Day on Tuesday March, 21, 2023!
The reception will commence in the O’Bannon Great Hall at the Indiana State Museum, located across the canal from the Medal of Honor Memorial, at 4:00p.m., light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served. The wreath laying ceremony will take place following the reception, with special guest Sammy Davis, who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1967 for his extraordinary heroism during the Vietnam War.
History of the Medal of Honor Day
In 1990, the United States Congress established March 25 as National Medal of Honor Day to “foster public appreciation and recognition of Medal of Honor recipients.” National Medal of Honor Day is an annual recognition of more than 3,500 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who have been distinguished as true heroes through their extraordinary heroism and sacrifice to our nation. It was on March 25, 1863 that the first Medal of Honor was presented to Private Jacob Parrott for his part in the “The Great Locomotive Chase” ending outside Chattanooga during the Civil War.
The Medal of Honor Memorial in Indianapolis is one of three Congressionally designated Medal of Honor sites. In 2023, recognition of National Medal of Honor Day will be held at each of these designated sites which include National Veterans Cemetery of Riverside, CA, and the USS Yorktown, Mt. Pleasant, SC.
