The Medal of Honor is the highest U.S. military decoration awarded by Congress to a member of the armed forces for gallantry and bravery in combat at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Medal of Honor recipients are a part of a distinguished group that are committed to promoting American values and the qualities of courage, sacrifice, and patriotism through increased awareness, education, ethical behavior, and example.
Woody Williams considers himself the Medal’s caretaker for the Marines who did not make it home. It is in honor of those who laid down their lives for freedom as well as his commitment to upholding the values represented by the Medal of Honor, that Woody continues to be devoted to initiatives associated with the Medal of Honor.
Several years ago, Woody had a vision to create a “first of its kind in the United States” Medal of Honor Wall of Memory that could be designed and displayed in Veterans Medical Centers and Veterans Nursing Facilities to honor and pay tribute to the Medal of Honor Recipients from the surrounding communities of those locations. The goal of the Foundation will be to collaborate and dedicate a Medal of Honor Wall of Memory in every location possible across the United States.
The Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation is proud to highlight the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation’s Character Development Program. As most of you are aware, Woody has spoken with and served as a mentor to tens of thousands of students of all ages in schools and universities across the country. Woody strives to continually engage with students and express the importance of having good role models and “doing the right things in life”.
"I am privileged and honored to work with the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. The strength of this nation depends on the character of its people. The Medal of Honor Character Development program provides our children with the foundation to continue that greatness. I support this program and challenge all who read this endorsement to do the same."
T. Boone Pickens | T. Boone Pickens Foundation
"Helping to fill the void is the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation’s character development program, which uses “living histories” told by veterans and related lesson plans to help students understand the values embedded in the Medal of Honor..."
Parade Magazine
The program was designed for use in a variety of education purposes, with lesson plans that use best practices based on national standards and core values. The program is enhanced by the addition of video teleconferencing with a Medal of Honor recipient addressing student assemblies or classrooms and interacting with students in question and answer sessions. The Character Development Program brochure and Six Pillars of Character card are available for download and printing.
Medal of Honor recipients Sal Giunta and Bruce Crandall recently participated in a Q & A session at the Citadel as part of the college’s Principled Leadership Guest Lecture Series. Earlier in the day, Sal spoke to the sophomore class and Bruce to the freshman class. The Character Development Program is a required course for credit taught to all incoming sophomores.
A training model for teaching the curriculum in the classroom is now in place for training teachers on the best practices in using the program. In addition, the entire Medal of Honor curriculum, including more than 100 Medal of Honor recipient living history videos, is now available at the educational online site.
Medal of Honor recipients will attest to this: Extraordinary events motivate ordinary people to do extraordinary things. On and off the battlefield, crises form the stage on which valorous action takes place. But extraordinary acts are possible only if ordinary people rise to the challenge of the moment and if society values sacrifice.
Woody participated in the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation’s Character Development Program as a mentor and teacher trainer to over 200 educators from the Tampa, FL education system in August, 2013. Woody's participation enables the educators to put a face with the names of the heroes that are incorporated and highlighted within the curriculum.
Lincoln is quoted as asserting that "any nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure." What is important is not to extol the acts of an honorable few but to imbue Americans with the understanding that, if our objective is to protect freedom and our way of life, each of us has an obligation to the community.
The Medal of Honor Curriculum Development Project demonstrates with crystal clarity that our young citizens, those who will carry our democracy into the future, can be taught the importance of service to the community and the values that made this nation great.
Colonel Jack H. Jacobs, Recipient of the Medal of Honor
Chairman, Congressional Medal of Honor Curriculum
Development Project
