National Medal of Honor Museum opens honoring heroes

    ARLINGTON, Texas (KTVT) -- After three years of construction, the National Medal of Honor Museum will finally open its doors on March 25 in Arlington, Texas.

Located in Arlington's entertainment district, near the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium and the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field, the museum is a celebration of the human spirit.

It is said that the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest honor for valor in combat, is a medal nobody wants because it represents the worst day of your life.

Throughout the museum, visitors will see personal items and learn personal stories of ordinary people who took extraordinary action.

"Some of the pictures that you see, predominantly around in large spaces, may not have been publicly accessible pictures," said Chris Cassidy, CEO and president of the Medal of Honor Museum.

Visitors may feel pride at the sight of a naval hero's dress whites, or perhaps the pain upon encountering the tattered, battle-worn helmet of Army Sgt. Major and Medal of Honor recipient Roy Benavidez.

"Each person is going to have something that triggers you to be drawn to one story or another, that's just human nature, right?" Cassidy said.

At the center of the museum is a circular wall of recipients. It's also where living history comes alive in a powerful video that will educate, inspire and speak to the burden our heroes can carry.

That burden is a hallmark of the museum's design. The heavy steel square at the top represents the burden of the Medal of Honor.

The museum is supported by five columns, representing the five branches of the United States Military, the men and women in uniform who stand in support every day.

Visitors enter and leave through the Rotunda of Honor, where the names of Medal of Honor recipients shine under a perpetual light.

The gateway to incredible stories of courage and sacrifice – an inspiration to those who will be next, on the values behind the valor.

Patrick Brady Hall is an expansive event space, already booked for 80 events this year alone, and the Griffin Institute is home to an educational outreach program focused on teaching the values of pride, responsibility, fortitude and strength.

"The program that we've designed to be facilitated by teachers in schools is called Moments That Matter," said Ellyn Metcalf, vice president of education for the Medal of Honor Foundation. "For local districts, the culminating moment when you complete the program is to come on a field trip to the museum. Next year, we hope to have almost 8,000 students come to the museum ... from this North Texas area."

The lower rotunda will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is free to enter.

The museum on the second level is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. During the grand opening week, all veterans' tickets are free with a valid ID.