Center aims to prepare citizens with the leadership knowledge and skills through programs centered on the values of the Medal of Honor

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (March 17, 2023) – The National Medal of Honor Leadership & Education Center today announced that it is expanding the reach of its values-based education efforts through a $3.5 million donation to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

The two organizations’ values and character education missions are complementary, with the Society targeting elementary and secondary students and the Center targeting college and professional audiences. The move also underscores the commitment of both organizations to the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum.

As part of this partnership, the Leadership & Education Center is donating $3.5 million to the Society to expand and enhance the current museum’s footprint on the USS Yorktown in Patriots Point. This museum tells the story of the more than 3,500 members of the military who have received the Medal of Honor.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Society and Patriots Point on this national effort to educate and inspire current and future generations of leaders using the lived values of the recipients of the Medal of Honor,” said Tommy McQueeney, chair of the Leadership & Education Center.

Society President and Medal of Honor Recipient Leroy Petry added, “Mount Pleasant has been the headquarters for Medal of Honor Recipients’ nonprofit organization since 1992, and we are pleased that we will be able to expand our presence through this generous donation from the Center.”

“Patriots Point and State of South Carolina are proud to have the Medal of Honor museum aboard the USS Yorktown,” said Wayne Adams, vice chairman of the Patriots Point Development Authority. “It’s a wonderful museum that serves as a tremendous resource for education and helps us achieve our mission to promote American pride and patriotism while honoring veterans. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Society and are excited for the planned expansion of the museum that’s made possible by the donation from the National Medal of Honor Leadership and Education Center.”

The Society intends to eventually move its administrative offices to a $75 million, 50,000-square-foot facility planned by the Leadership & Education Center facility at Patriots Point. This two-story building will include a conference center and a separate museum that will feature a curated, immersive and multimedia visitor experience, emphasizing what unites America and promoting Medal of Honor values and inspiring people to use these ideals to shape the future.

Once constructed, the conference center will provide character development and leadership symposiums, certification programs, coaching and retreats and immersive and special exhibits. The Leadership & Education Center is putting a special emphasis on corporate, healthcare, education, veterans and nonprofit groups.

At the same time, the Leadership & Education Center will work working closely with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which is also located in Patriots Point and has its own values-based Character Development Program (CDP) geared mostly towards K-12 students. The values of the Medal of Honor are courage, sacrifice, patriotism, integrity and commitment.

The Leadership & Education Center’s efforts are meant to be an answer for rising incivility and an antidote to those who say America has lost its way and that the values it was built on aren’t relevant any longer.

“This is so much more than a building in Patriots Point,” said Thomas Mundell, chief executive officer of the Leadership & Education Center. “This is a campaign for the revitalization of America. This is about telling the story of our greatest heroes and instilling in others the same values that allowed them to do exemplary deeds in the service of others.”

The Leadership & Education Center is engaged in a $75 million campaign to fund the construction of the Patriots Point facility. Work is expected to begin in late summer of 2024.

In the meantime, the Leadership & Education Center has developed a program for university students that will debut the first week in August with a seminar at The University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business. Other schools that have committed to the program include Johns Hopkins University and The Citadel. The program is chaired by retired USMC Major General Leo V. Williams III and was developed by a national committee led by Dr. Justin Habash, assistant dean for teaching and learning at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and a former Army Rangers-qualified paratrooper.

The National Medal of Honor Act in 1999 designated the Medal of Honor Museum as one of three national Medal of Honor sites.