Medal of Honor recipients might get their own national museum

A museum being built in Mount Pleasant to showcase the nation’s highest military honor should officially be designated the National Medal of Honor Museum, S.C. Republicans in Congress say.

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-Springdale, introduced a bill to formally make the museum in Patriots Point, on the eastern shore of Charleston Harbor, the national destination for Americans wanting to learn more about Medal of Honor recipients.

“Recipients of the Medal of Honor showed courage, bravery and selflessness when defending our country,” Wilson said Wednesday. “They deserve to have their stories told in a dedicated museum where all Americans can pay tribute to their sacrifice and learn of their heroism.”

The bill was co-sponsored by fellow S.C. Republican Reps. Mark Sanford of Charleston, Trey Gowdy of Spartanburg and Jeff Duncan of Laurens.

According to plans, the 107,000-square-foot museum will include a 240-seat auditorium, a 140-seat chapel and event spaces. The National Medal of Honor Foundation still is raising money for the $98 million building, which could be completed in 2018.

As of this month, there are only 77 living Medal of Honor recipients, according to the bill. Their average age is 71, making the museum’s mission of preserving their stories more urgent, Wilson’s bill says.

The medal recipients now are honored by a museum inside the USS Yorktown at the Patriots Point Military Museum at Mount Pleasant.