National Medal of Honor Museum Hosts ‘Mission to Inspire Spectacular’

Published on March 24, 2025

By National Medal of Honor Museum Communications

After a three-year construction effort, the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington celebrated its official opening on Saturday with a spectacular public celebration and ribbon cutting attended by 32 Medal of Honor Recipients, national and military leaders, celebrities and musical guests. Following the ribbon cutting, the Mission to Inspire Spectacular lit up the sky with fireworks and drones, accompanied by video and a variety of musical arrangements, to commemorate the milestone in a 360-degree storytelling marvel.

The Grand Opening Celebration was held just three days before the Museum officially opens its doors to the public on Tuesday, March 25, which is National Medal of Honor Day. 

“Cutting the ribbon to open the National Medal of Honor Museum will be the realization of a long-awaited moment. After decades of dreams, the Medal of Honor and its Recipients will now have a proper home, where the values of courage, sacrifice, and patriotism will be preserved and shared with future generations of Americans,” said U.S. Army Major General Patrick H. Brady (Ret.), Medal of Honor Recipient and member of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation Board of Directors. “This Medal – and this Museum – are for those I served with, especially the ones who never came home. I hope that visitors will learn from our stories and see that they too have it within themselves to do something great for others and make a positive impact on our country.”

Of the 40 million Americans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, fewer than 4,000 have earned the Medal of Honor. Of those, only 61 are living today.

Watch the hour-long Mission to Inspire Spectacular video.

Prominent guests included: 32 Medal of Honor recipients, NBC TODAY Show anchor Savannah Guthrie, who was emcee at a special dinner for recipients and supporters prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony; musician Lee Greenwood, who performed his hit song “God Bless the USA”; Gary Sinise, an Academy Award-nominated actor known for his role as Lieutenant Dan Taylor in “Forrest Gump”; Dallas Cowboys’ stars Dak Prescott and Jake Ferguson, as well as Cowboys legend Zack Martin. Others included senior leaders of prominent Museum corporate partners, including American Airlines, Anheuser Busch, AT&T, Bank of America, Carnival Cruise Line, Dallas Cowboys, Lockheed Martin, Lucas Oil, JPMorgan, Texas Rangers and others; members of Congress, and dozens of current and former national, state and local elected officials.

Chris Cassidy, NMOHMF President and CEO, said: “In an evening filled with fireworks, nothing will shine brighter than the Medal of Honor Recipients. It is because of their service and sacrifice that we can gather for celebrations like these. I am so proud to open our doors and share their stories of courage, commitment and selflessness with the nation. At the National Medal of Honor Museum, we are stewards of their legacy and vow to uphold the values represented by the Medal.”

The National Medal of Honor Museum is unique in that it is neither a war memorial nor a military museum, but instead values and biography based, taking visitors on a narrative journey through the lives of ordinary people who did something extraordinary in service to others. Visitors will learn that courage is not contained to the battlefield and having a sense of duty is not demarcated by a uniform. They will be inspired to live their own lives of service and make a positive impact in their communities.

The elevated exhibit deck, held aloft by five concrete mega-columns representing branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, features 31,000 square feet of artifacts, interviews, lives, and legacies of those who have received our country's highest award for valor in combat. Highlights of the exbibits include a fully restored Bell UH-1 “Huey” Iroquois helicopter modeled after the one flown by Medal of Honor Recipient U.S. Army Major General Patrick H. Brady (Ret.) and “Conversations: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives” where guests can use innovative technology to interview a virtual Medal of Honor Recipient.