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Six Medal of Honor recipients landed at Joint Base Andrews as a part of the National Medal of Honor Museum “Valor Tour,” on March 20, 2025, comprising of the largest gathering of MoH recipients in the base’s history.
Joint Base Andrews was selected as one of two bases, to welcome these heroes ahead of the museum's opening March 25, and with a ceremony that included enlistment of the Air Force’s newest Airmen.
This once-in-a-lifetime recognition tour was held in advance of the opening of the nation’s only museum focusing on the United States' highest military award. This event provided a rare opportunity for military members and Airmen-to-be to interact with and be inspired by the stories of American heroes.
“Today really is about recognizing service, and it’s service being recognized through the Medal of Honor,” said retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Will Swenson, who received the medal for recovering fallen and wounded teammates while under heavy enemy fire in Afghanistan. “The Medal of Honor is an award that’s given out to an individual, but really, the award isn’t given to the individual so much as it’s given to the idea of service to what a military member is willing to do.”
The six honorees, retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Pat Brady, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Will Swenson, retired U.S. Army Capt. Florent Groberg, retired U.S. Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Britt Sablinski, retired U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Sammy Davis, and retired U.S. Army Spc. 5 James McCloughan were welcomed by hundreds of joint military members who got the opportunity to hear some of their inspiring stories.
The Medal of Honor is the United States’ highest award for military valor in combat. It has been awarded to 3,528 individuals since 1861, and 61 recipients are still living today.
Swenson’s words of service echoed in the actions by seven Airmen-to-be who raised their right hand to swear in in during an enlisted ceremony conducted by retired U.S. Army Capt. Florent Groberg, MoH recipient.
“You’re committing to a mission, you’re committing to brothers and sisters, to our nation, to our flag,” Groberg said. “You’ll transform your community, your families, and all those who have the opportunity and privilege to know you.”
Joint Base Andrews was the last stop on American Airline’s Flagship Valor before the grand opening of the National Medal of Honor Museum. The Flagship Valor was specially painted with graphics depicting the conflicts that America has been involved in and transported the military bands and the MoH recipients ahead of the ceremony. The museum hosted 33 living MoH recipients on Saturday, March 22, before opening its doors to the public today. The museum’s mission is to share the life stories of MoH recipients and inspire the world with the valor and courage of the service members’ stories.
“I’m excited to reveal the normal human being side of a Medal of Honor recipient’s life and, inspire people to carry the story, the stories of the courage that they had on the battlefield that day,” said retired U.S. Navy Capt. Chris Cassidy, National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation president and CEO.
Swenson echoed this sentiment, adding that the museum is about military valor and heroism, but it is for everyday people too. “We want people to come into this museum, see the stories, and recognize in themselves that they too, can do exception things if they choose to,” he said.
Before the recipients left the hangar, they made sure to greet and shake every person’s hand, thanking them for their service.
“Every person needs a little courage in your life,” Cassidy said.
| Date Taken: | 03.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.25.2025 14:16 |
| Story ID: | 493703 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 59 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, "Everyone needs a little bit of courage": Medal of Honor recipients visit base in historic tour, by A1C Daniel Walderbach, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
