Medal of Honor Celebration rescheduled for Sept. 6-10, 2022

Knoxville event moves up a week to accommodate MOH Recipient preferences

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Congressional Medal of Honor Society

Nov 30, 2021, 08:41 ET

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Congressional Medal of Honor Society will hold its annual celebration for Recipients of the United States' highest military award for valor in Knoxville, Sept. 6-10, 2022. The gathering of the nation's 66 living Medal of Honor Recipients will mark the second time the annual event has been held in Knoxville—a two-time host city designation shared only with Boston. Knoxville last welcomed Recipients in 2014. The event was previously scheduled for Sept. 13-17.

Actor and producer Mark Wahlberg (center) received the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment for his support of American troops and his positive portrayal of the military at the 2014 Medal of Honor Celebration in Knoxville. He is flanked by actor and former Society award winner Gary Sinise (left) and Medal of Honor Recipient Paul Bucha (right).

"The Medal of Honor Recipients love Knoxville and are looking forward to coming back in 2022," said Joe Thompson, chairman of the board for the Medal of Honor Celebration. "We decided to change the date so the Patriot Award Gala could be held on Saturday night, as is traditional, without conflicting with a home football game."

The Knoxville Medal of Honor Celebration team traveled to Boston on 9/11 to accept the commemorative Congressional Medal of Honor Society flag and brought it back to Knoxville where it was raised at the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial at World's Fair Park on Sept. 27, beginning a year-long series of events culminating in the 2022 Celebration. World War II veteran and Medal of Honor Recipient Hershel W. "Woody" Williams, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), attended the Flag Raising ceremony just days before his 98^th birthday.

In July, Medal of Honor Recipient Kyle White, U.S. Army (Ret), was in town to speak to teachers and administrators throughout the state at the Medal of Honor Character Development Program (CDP) training day. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society's CDP has successfully trained over 17,500 educators across the country to inspire students through the six core values of courage, sacrifice, commitment, integrity, citizenship and patriotism embodied in the Medal of Honor.

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is now accepting nominations for 2022 Citizens Honors Awards in which individuals and an organization will be recognized for acts of valor or service to the community. The nominations period closes Dec. 31, 2021. Nominations must be submitted through the Society's website at cmohs.org. The award recipients will be announced on March 25, 2022, which is Medal of Honor Day. The Valor Awards (Single Act of Heroism and Youth Hero Awards) will be awarded in Knoxville during the 2022 Medal of Honor Celebration.

"Medal of Honor recipients, like Woody and Kyle, are living legends who continue to put country first as they share their unique and inspiring life experiences," Thompson added. "Speaking on behalf of the Knoxville team, we're delighted and deeply honored to be the host city for the Medal of Honor Celebration for the second time."

About the Congressional Medal of Honor Society
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Medal of Honor and its Recipients, inspiring Americans, and supporting the Recipients as they connect with communities across the country. Chartered by Congress in 1958, its membership consists exclusively of those individuals who have received the Medal of Honor. There are 66 living Recipients. The Society carries out its mission through outreach, education and preservation programs, including the Medal of Honor Museum, Congressional Medal of Honor Outreach Programs, the Congressional Medal of Honor Character Development Program, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Citizen Honors Awards for Valor and Service. The Society's programs and operations are funded by donations. As part of Public Law 106-83, the Medal of the Honor Memorial Act, the Medal of Honor Museum, which is co-located with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's headquarters on board the U.S.S. Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, was designated as one of three national Medal of Honor sites. Learn more about the Medal of Honor and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's initiatives at cmoh.org.