(SIMI VALLEY, Calif.) – The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society (the Society) came together on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, for their annual Medal of Honor Forum that combines the organizations’ shared education missions.

This year, the forum includes Medal of Honor Recipient Gary Littrell who spoke with more than 600 students from across Southern California about Medal of Honor Values.

The Reagan Foundation & Institute’s education mission is to develop and inspire the leaders of tomorrow through immersive and impactful learning opportunities like the Medal of Honor Forum. Their goal is to improve the leadership, communication, and decision-making skills of students, with an eye towards cultivating the next generation of civic minded leaders.

“It has been our distinct privilege over the past decade to partner with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and to share the powerful stories of the Medal of Honor Recipients with thousands of students across the nation,” said Dr. Janet Tran, Acting Chief Learning Officer of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. “President Reagan once said, ‘The world must see an America that is morally strong with a creed and a vision. We are such people. This is what has led us to dare and to achieve. For us, values count.

They are the wellspring of our American way of life, the real meaning of the Hall of Honor — service to country, patriotism, honor, and sacrifice.’ The Medal of Honor Recipients exemplify the very best example of this meaning, and their words and actions serve as inspiration to our nation’s children through this program.”

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s education mission comes directly from the purpose that Congress cited when establishing the organization in 1958– inspiring and stimulating youth to become good citizens. The Society offers its Medal of Honor Character Development Program as a free resource to schools and educators who wish to teach courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism—values linked to the Medal of Honor.

Society President and Medal of Honor Recipient Leroy Petry said, “We want students to understand the ideals we value as Americans and that they belong to all of us, whether we wear a uniform or whether you’re a civilian or still in school. It’s never too early to understand the importance of courage and integrity and how you can live these principles in your own life. This is why we have the Medal of Honor Character Development Program.”

About the Ronald Reagan Foundation & Institute

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute is the sole nonprofit organization created by President Reagan charged with continuing his legacy and sharing his principles – individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy and national pride. The Foundation is a non-partisan organization which sustains the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, CA, the Reagan Center for Public Affairs, the Presidential Learning Center, The Air Force One Pavilion, the award-winning Reagan Leadership Center and the Reagan Institute, which carries out the Foundation s mission in Washington, DC.

The Reagan Library houses over 55 million pages of Gubernatorial, Presidential and personal papers and over 60,000 gifts and artifacts chronicling the lives of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. It also serves as the final resting place of America’s 40th President and his First Lady.

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 64 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.