A Museum for the Extraordinary

The Medal of Honor Museum pays special tribute to American heroes ranging from the very first Medal of Honor recipients during the Civil War all the way to the War On Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is also home to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Society members share the distinct honor of wearing our nation’s highest award for military valor.

The Society’s Museum is home to the Medal of Honor, the Recipients who wear it, and the values inherent in the Medal: courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism.

Designed to bring the Recipients’ stories to life, the museum is located on board the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, SC. Interactive exhibits focus on Recipients’ stories from various wars and a searchable database allows visitors to explore all Medal of Honor citations. Permanent exhibits of artifacts tangibly connect the past and present.

First awarded during the American Civil War in 1862, the Medal of Honor is awarded for “Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against any enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.”