Center honors Chattanooga as Medal of Honor birthplace
National Medal of Honor Heritage Center in Chattanooga
Chattanooga is known as the birthplace of the Medal of Honor and Good Day's Paul Milliken visits the the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center on Monday morning.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The United States of America is the land of the free and home of the brave — and the bravest among us are honored every day inside a unique Chattanooga museum and history center.
The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center houses the fascinating history of our nation’s highest military award for valor, tracing the story from the first medals awarded in the early 1860s all the way to the present day. Throughout the Center’s 19,000-square-foot space, the personal stories of Medal of Honor recipients are told through artifacts and interactive displays.
"The mission is character-based education," says Chris Moreland, who handles marketing and communications for the Center. "We want people to understand the importance of courage, citizenship, commitment, sacrifice, integrity, and patriotism."
The first Medals of Honor were presented on March 25th, 1863, to six of the soldiers known as Andrews’ Raiders, who took part in the famed Great Locomotive Chase which ended just outside of Chattanooga. Today, many recognize Chattanooga as "the birthplace of the Medal of Honor" due to the number of those early medals awarded in and around the city.
Although Memorial Day weekend is a particularly poignant time to visit the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, staffers say the goal is to celebrate military service and sacrifice every single day.
"These are all people who sacrificed for their country in a way that we can’t really thank them for," says Moreland. "What all these people that we speak to — they come here all the time — tell us [is] that they did it out of love."
The Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center is located at 2 West Aquarium Way, Suite 104, in Chattanooga, and regular hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. General admission is $16.95 for adults, $11.95 for seniors (65+), $5.95 for military members, and $10.95 for youth ages 5 to 12. Click here for more information on visiting.