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Stories of veteran service and sacrifice straight from the people driving today’s most important veterans causes and veterans organizations around the world. The show shines a spotlight on their inspiring projects making a real difference for veterans and their families, and along the way we'll hear the stories that drive them to do their best every day as they work to support veterans and their memory.
00:00:06:01 - 00:00:31:01
Speaker 1
Hey, it's Matthew Cudmore and welcome to Story Behind the Stone. Today we sit down with John Shertzer, Executive Director of the Medal of Honor Foundation, an organization that's keeping America's highest military honor alive in the hearts of the next generation. In a time when civic engagement is fading, John's mission is clear connect today's youth to the timeless values of the medal itself bravery, courage, sacrifice, and integrity before they disappear.
00:00:31:02 - 00:00:35:09
Speaker 1
John, it was an honor to have you on the show today. And to our listeners, thanks for tuning in.
00:00:41:07 - 00:00:51:21
Speaker 1
Welcome to Story Behind the Stone, a show where we talk service, sacrifice and story. I'm joined today by John Shertzer, Executive Director of the Medal of Honor Foundation. John, thank you so much for coming on the show today.
00:00:51:22 - 00:00:54:19
Speaker 2
It's my honor, and thank you for letting me be here with you and your audience.
00:00:54:19 - 00:01:02:20
Speaker 1
John would love to just start. If it's okay with a little bit of context setting into the Foundation society how you support each other in your combat missions.
00:01:02:21 - 00:01:34:06
Speaker 2
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is a chartered organization for the nation's Medal of Honor recipients. It's essentially, and I like to describe it as their fraternity, very exclusive, of course, because the only ones who can belong to it are those who received the nation's highest military award for valor, which is the Medal of Honor. And so currently there are 61 living recipients, which is a number that keeps getting smaller because as conflicts become less and less, thankfully, there's fewer, Battles of Honor awarded.
00:01:34:08 - 00:01:58:18
Speaker 2
And those who are currently within the society represent both the Vietnam War and conflict and the global war on terror. The Medal of Honor Foundation. What we really exist to do is to make sure the Congressional Medal of Honor society thrives. We want to make sure that the mission that the society is trying to promote, which is to carry forth the legacy of the medal, but is also to protect and take care of the recipients of the medal as well.
00:01:58:20 - 00:02:17:17
Speaker 2
That that mission is stable, thriving, and that we can do what we can to support it. And then as we talk forward today, I can describe a little bit more what we do. In addition to that, we've been empowered and tasked to take those stories and those recipients and take their stories and, project them out into the greater world.
00:02:17:17 - 00:02:31:20
Speaker 2
So, it's a real, real privilege to be a part of that kind of a mission. And so that's how we currently work together. So we, we basically help stand them up, and then we take, their, their mission and try to amplify it.
00:02:32:01 - 00:02:40:23
Speaker 1
Took over the foundation, I believe, in 2022. It's been three years now coming up in September. What were those first few, you know, months like for you?
00:02:41:00 - 00:03:05:01
Speaker 2
I did not serve in the armed forces. And so I came from as a civilian, so to speak. And I was hired into the role simply because of my nonprofit experience. I've been, in the nonprofit sector for all, you know, 25 years of my working life. The executive director of other organizations, and the nonprofit sector, of course, has some very unique, interesting aspects to it.
00:03:05:01 - 00:03:25:06
Speaker 2
Of course, board led and, you know, mission driven and fundraising is a big part of what happens. And so at the time I was hired in the organization was going through some transition and both leadership and vision and where it wanted to go. So they brought me into sort of help steer that ship, and to try to help us stabilize things, but then also take them further.
00:03:25:08 - 00:03:44:01
Speaker 2
And those first few months were pretty wild, to be honest with you, because not being involved with the armed services or the military prior to that, getting to know what would be determined by almost everyone in the United States anyhow, to be our nation's greatest heroes and to be just shoulder to shoulder with them from the get go in.
00:03:44:01 - 00:04:07:21
Speaker 2
This mission was humbling. It was. On aspiring, and what I learned early on in those first few months is that these men, and they're all 61 living our men. That these men are not only extraordinary for what they did, but they are just amazing human beings as well. Easy to speak with. Easy to be around. Humble, gracious.
00:04:07:21 - 00:04:37:00
Speaker 2
Generous with their time. And so that made it easy. It was intimidating at first. My very first day on the job was at our national convention, which happens every fall. And so I walk into the hotel where this convention proceedings are happening. And immediately I'm just thrust into the role, basically. Trial by fire, you could say. And but it was the fact that they were so open with welcoming me in that they were so, supportive of that from the from the start was amazing.
00:04:37:05 - 00:05:00:03
Speaker 2
So it was it was pretty wild. And, I'm still, I know, in this role, and I'm, I'm definitely okay with it whenever I'm in the room with these men I serve. I'm never going to be the most important person in that room. I'm there to serve them. They are deservedly so regarded and very high esteem and respect.
00:05:00:05 - 00:05:13:11
Speaker 2
And my job is to make sure that they continue to earn, to deserve that. And it's just to show, others that that's, needed and, deserved and then to take their stories and do what I can with them to, to inspire the country.
00:05:13:12 - 00:05:28:01
Speaker 1
Was there a particular moment, you know, notable moments. You know, whether it was and, you know, I can picture you at the conference. You're behind the curtain or something that just made you think, like, wow, this is this is such a sacred mission, such an important mission.
00:05:28:01 - 00:05:32:23
Speaker 2
One of the interviewers of me, when I was going into this, interviewing for this role
00:05:32:23 - 00:05:50:17
Speaker 2
staff sergeant, Leroy Petry, who's a medal of honor recipient, and Leroy at the time was president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which is why he was part of, the interview process. I remember meeting Leroy for the very first time in person, because all that was handled by zoom up until that point at the convention.
00:05:50:19 - 00:06:17:21
Speaker 2
And I shook Leroy's hand. And Leroy is missing half of his arm because he took a grenade from a dangerous situation and went to throw it away from his fellow troops, and it exploded and took off, a portion of his arm. And so I shook his hand. A robotic, replacement, forearm at hand. And at that moment, and he's just if you ever met him, he's just one of the most easy to talk to.
00:06:17:21 - 00:06:39:01
Speaker 2
Amiable, guys you could ever talk to and to shake his hand and meet him for the first time, and to be in that kind of a have that, you know, feeling right there in that moment of his sacrifice, holding it in my hand, essentially. Was extraordinary. Most of these recipients have come back with some sort of a lasting reminder of what happened.
00:06:39:02 - 00:06:51:20
Speaker 2
Sometimes it's internal, sometimes it's external, sometimes it's both. And so to to understand that and to know that I'm serving men who put it all out there for me, for you, for all of us, was exceptional.
00:06:51:20 - 00:07:12:14
Speaker 1
And you see these individuals, you know, in public at the conventions, you see them with the next generation as well. And the foundation, I believe, has a lot of, programs for youth. What does it mean for those, individuals that are recipients of the medal to work with the next generation and help them understand all those values that they served for, that they sacrifice for?
00:07:12:14 - 00:07:40:17
Speaker 2
I think that they, the recipients, love that. That's a a place for them to install their stories, the values that those the metal represents, to try and inspire the coming generation to do more than they currently are doing. We're sort of at a moment in our time right now where it feels like the coming generation, at least in the United States, is the least civically prepared that we've ever seen.
00:07:40:19 - 00:08:09:17
Speaker 2
Because civics, that notion of pride in country and what you are, you know, that you should serve your country in whatever manner, not always military in fact, you know, most likely it's not that. It's in other ways you're serving your community. You're involved in in other ways, that notion, that notion of we're all here to support each other, and that idea of citizenship is more distant from their thinking than it maybe has been, because it's just not a part of schools anymore, as was as it once was.
00:08:09:18 - 00:08:35:15
Speaker 2
Civics curriculum is being taken out of schools in place of other things. The institutions that help bring that forward, like service clubs and scouting and things like that, membership is is shrinking in those organizations for the most part. So that's one issue. And the other issue is that there's also that distance between young people today at military service in general, because thankfully, and recipients will tell you this as well.
00:08:35:17 - 00:08:58:23
Speaker 2
Thankfully, we are not currently in any major conflict like our fathers, uncles, grandfathers all lived through, whether they were engaged with it or not. They knew people who were. And so that distance now feels very, very, wide. My kids, for instance, would have to think about a couple generations before they would find somebody who served.
00:08:59:01 - 00:09:26:20
Speaker 2
So their thoughts and their mindset around military service is very different than, than before. So we're trying to come up with programs that help address those two things right, get them better civically prepared so that we can prepare the next generation for serving this country and this nation, and then also help remind them of the service and sacrifice of our military and our veterans, so that they have an appreciation for that, and that they want to do stuff that helps them in that way.
00:09:26:21 - 00:09:48:08
Speaker 2
That helps those populations. But also, you know, kind of shows that respect. So that's our recipients are, in that way, ambassadors of American values in schools among young people. But not just that, us also adults like you and I, who, you know, come into contact with them so that they see that as a sacred obligation and they carry it out very well.
00:09:48:10 - 00:09:54:20
Speaker 1
Mean about the impact that, you know, these programs are having on the kids. And and what are they saying about the programs once they've been through it?
00:09:54:20 - 00:10:19:14
Speaker 2
Our character development program, which is a basically a curricular program. So it's it's delivered by teachers in the school. And we we've trained up to now about 20,000 teachers to take that curriculum and put it into their school. And the way they do that is they might insert a lesson into a social studies curriculum or an English class, or they may just, we've seen it installed in almost every kind of subject.
00:10:19:14 - 00:10:38:07
Speaker 2
Do they find a way to to kind of put that in there? And it typically involves showing the story of a medal of honor recipient and then extracting from that story values that the students can then apply into their daily lives. So it's saying like, did you see courage, sacrifice, integrity in those stories? Now think about your own personal life and daily life work.
00:10:38:07 - 00:11:03:02
Speaker 2
Can you install courage, sacrifice and integrity more readily? What we find from our surveys and we survey the teachers who who do the programs, and we base it off their observations. 90% of teachers say that the classroom climate improves after they've installed that program, which is exceptional. 80 to 90% don't have it in front of me, but I know it's it's at least 80%.
00:11:03:04 - 00:11:21:20
Speaker 2
Say that the students exhibit more, kindness to each other because it's one of those things where once you hear and learn the stories of these of sacrifice of veterans, of military, and see what they put on the line for us, it's hard to stay very mad with somebody or have some petty difference with somebody. Right?
00:11:21:22 - 00:11:46:18
Speaker 2
It's easier than to build this climate of kindness and support for each other. So we try to teach those values through the program. And it's showing the surveys are showing that it's been very well received. We have a lot of teachers who are big fans of the program. They help promote it far and wide. And so it's been, I would say, since the foundation was established, 20 years ago.
00:11:46:18 - 00:11:48:14
Speaker 2
It is our biggest success story by far.
00:11:48:18 - 00:11:53:18
Speaker 1
And I understand you're expanding it into kind of a chapter based model in the future.
00:11:53:18 - 00:12:13:17
Speaker 2
So under consideration is we really want to take what we'd really do well in the classroom with students, and we try and want to see if we can build an experience for students outside of the classroom through a student organization that's a service organization in a sense, that takes the values of the Medal of Honor and puts them into action in their schools and in their communities.
00:12:13:21 - 00:12:46:18
Speaker 2
So it's one thing to learn about it in the classroom, but then can we give them an opportunity or an outlet to say, okay, how do we make our school a more, open to patriotism, more open to courage, more open to commitment to other values that we really try to teach and promote? So this could be a, clubs or organizations that help, put on the Veterans Day programing in their school or help the who take a, a high school football game or a Friday night and focus it on supporting the veterans and honoring them in that way.
00:12:46:20 - 00:13:01:14
Speaker 2
So we're we're currently, test marketing that or testing it or you could say and trying to build that out. We think it's a great way to, to to take things that we know work inside the classroom and try to give students another outlet, an opportunity to serve.
00:13:01:15 - 00:13:14:14
Speaker 1
The National Medal of Honor Museum opened this year in March 2025. Can you tell us a little bit about, how the foundation is involved in supporting, that mission, leveraging that institution?
00:13:14:16 - 00:13:38:23
Speaker 2
One of the great things about that I learned early on in this role is there are a lot of organizations and institutions that support Medal of Honor recipients that support the mission of carrying forward their stories and their values. The National Medal of Honor Museum, Foundation and Museum in Arlington, Texas, is one of those. And right now is, because they just opened like you said, I've been through the museum.
00:13:38:23 - 00:13:59:09
Speaker 2
It's extraordinary. Everyone should go visit that museum. Is is really doing a amazing job at trying to give more people an opportunity to learn what the Medal of Honor is, and to meet the people who have received that medal. There are other institutions as well, so our convention coming up here in a couple of months will be held in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
00:13:59:11 - 00:14:30:10
Speaker 2
They have the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which is a museum and an educational center that focuses on the Medal of Honor. Because the original Medal of Honor recipients, many of them were from Chattanooga. So they kind of own that identity and really take that on the foundation. And the society operates its own unique museum in, Charleston, South Carolina, actually, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, right next to Charleston on the USS Yorktown, which is, and Patriot's Point.
00:14:30:15 - 00:14:50:06
Speaker 2
So if you're in that area, you should visit that. And then there's, other entities and organizations that, that do, things for the Medal of Honor. So we host, with collaboration with the society, an annual summit of those organizations to share ideas, to help each other, to make sure that we've got, you know, support networks in place.
00:14:50:11 - 00:15:11:04
Speaker 2
So big champion of every I would love for every American to have a medal of honor experience. So that could be going to museums. It could be meeting a recipient. It could be engaging in our school curriculum. It could be, participating our Citizen Honors awards, which is something that we should talk about as well. Those all those things are, important.
00:15:11:04 - 00:15:13:14
Speaker 2
And the more Americans who can experience those things, the better.
00:15:13:14 - 00:15:22:01
Speaker 1
So speaking about the awards, I understand that you're, in the nomination season, I guess, for Frisky Awards. What's, what's going on there.
00:15:22:01 - 00:15:52:14
Speaker 2
Every year at March 25th is Medal of Honor Day. So that's a, the Congress has declared that in the United States has to be Medal of Honor Day. They, the recipients decided many years ago they're going to focus that day on serving or putting a spotlight on others. So what they do is they identify five individuals and one organization in the nation who in the prior year had done something extraordinary, whether it's an act of valor or whether it's a service project or whether it's just general support, that's extraordinary for the veterans community.
00:15:52:14 - 00:16:17:06
Speaker 2
And they give them a medal called the Citizen Honors Award. And so that happens every March 25th. So every year we do a call out and try to search for these stories of extreme valor or sacrifice or service. And that's ongoing. So on our website, which is dot CMO s.org, you can find citizen honors information there.
00:16:17:06 - 00:16:36:14
Speaker 2
You can also find all the other things that we've been talking about today. And you can nominate someone to receive that honor. And then the recipients are the ones who ultimately choose those who receive it. So if you're standing on the stage receiving that medal, you know that a medal of honor, a group of Medal of Honor recipients found you worthy of receiving that which is which is awesome.
00:16:36:14 - 00:16:54:12
Speaker 2
I actually have, this past year, we had, honor awardee, just to kind of give you a sense of who we're talking about here are the kinds of folks. And, you know, this was a posthumous award, which can happen. And that can happen in the Medal of Honor world as well, and happens very frequently that a medal of honor recipient will receive it posthumously.
00:16:54:12 - 00:17:22:01
Speaker 2
They died in their action, and their family receives it on their behalf and in their honor. And this happened in this situation. So we gave a medal of our a Citizen Honors award to a gentleman named Dan Marburger, who was a principal in Iowa. Perry High School actually in Perry, Iowa. And in 20 early 2024, in January, a student came into the school and opened fire, the school shooting situation and principal Marburger he confronted the shooter in the hallway.
00:17:22:03 - 00:17:41:08
Speaker 2
He talked to this shooter, and he tried his best to keep the shooter at bay while people escaped the school grounds and were able to get out safely. And he also shielded students and staff simply by his presence of being there. He was shot four times. I think about a week later, he succumbed to those injuries and passed away.
00:17:41:10 - 00:18:11:22
Speaker 2
The state of Iowa all celebrated that sacrifice in that service by half. Staff putting the flags at half staff. They honored him in that way. And then we decided that we had to as well give up his family on his behalf. The Citizen Honors Award in this last year. So that's the kinds of stories that happen every day in our in our country, in any country around the world, people putting themselves out there for others and the Medal of Honor recipients and the foundation, we want to make sure those are spotlighted where they can be.
00:18:11:22 - 00:18:23:19
Speaker 1
I must mean so much to the families to be in that room, to receive that that high, high honor. What are you getting from your involvement with the foundation? What what would you say you're feeling from your involvement?
00:18:23:19 - 00:18:54:15
Speaker 2
I've always found myself to be someone who honors and supports our nation's military and our veterans, that I try whatever I can to do that in any way I can. But I didn't really understand the stakes of it and the scope of it until I got involved in an organization like this and got to see not only what our Medal of Honor recipients have done, but they I create around them, you know, circles of folks who, who believe in them and follow them and aren't and they themselves try to support veterans.
00:18:54:15 - 00:19:25:19
Speaker 2
So you get to meet other veterans who are going through things or who have, dealt with their own issues as well as active duty, seeing what they're putting out as well for our nation. And so my pride is in that is only grown stronger. My respect for that is only grown deeper this year for Memorial Day, I said, I, you know, I need myself and I I'm ashamed to say I wouldn't have probably thought about this too deeply beforehand, but I said, I need to take my kids.
00:19:25:19 - 00:19:40:12
Speaker 2
We went to a cemetery and plant flags for veterans and it helped them understand it better. Not yet, to the degree I want them to, but those small things I feel like we all can do more of. And so for me to be in this role and to kind of feel those things, it's made me a better person.
00:19:40:13 - 00:19:50:06
Speaker 1
Imagine a time capsule that you're building to inspire the future generations, much like what you're doing with the programs that you're running. What stories would you put in there if you could pick 1 or 2?
00:19:50:12 - 00:20:11:14
Speaker 2
I feel so lucky and blessed because I have been able to interact with so many, the Medal of Honor recipients and hear their stories and hear them express their stories to others. And I think about, for instance, we hosted, a medal of honor recipient named Sammy Davis. And Sammy lives in Indiana. I'm talking to you today from Indianapolis, Indiana, where I live.
00:20:11:16 - 00:20:31:09
Speaker 2
But he lives, a little bit of ways from the city. But we brought him to the city because there's a medal of honor memorial here, and it was celebrating an anniversary. And I got to hear him describe his story. And this is a man who, will tell you repeatedly that the reason he did that is out of love.
00:20:31:11 - 00:21:01:08
Speaker 2
His action was essentially being he was shot up. He was, hurt. He was, for any folks like, you know, typical folks would probably, you know, not been able to go on. But he, in spite of those injuries, swam across, River in Vietnam to rescue, his brothers, as he says on the other side and as he describes that story and describes what it's like to be to be in Vietnam back then.
00:21:01:10 - 00:21:18:13
Speaker 2
He brings out a harmonica and plays a song that he would play as they sat in foxholes waiting for, impending doom to come and just to hear and to feel that, it's it's extraordinary.
00:21:18:13 - 00:21:20:13
Speaker 2
Funny story about an interesting story about Sammy,
00:21:20:13 - 00:21:25:16
Speaker 2
Sammy's Medal of Honor ceremony. He was given the Medal of Honor by Lyndon Johnson and his Medal of Honor ceremony.
00:21:25:19 - 00:21:47:01
Speaker 2
It's video is what was used in Forrest Gump. You've seen the movie Forrest Gump. Forrest receives the Medal of Honor. It's Sammy Davis footage with Tom Hanks face put over Sammy's. And so they he's often regarded as the real Forrest Gump. And two years ago, at our convention in New Orleans, Tom Hanks received
00:21:47:01 - 00:21:49:17
Speaker 2
one of our highest honors, which is the Bob Hope Award for,
00:21:49:17 - 00:21:50:06
Speaker 2
those who
00:21:50:06 - 00:21:53:02
Speaker 2
an acting profession or other professions similar that
00:21:53:02 - 00:21:54:23
Speaker 2
have done extraordinary work for veterans.
00:21:55:01 - 00:22:03:03
Speaker 2
And he got to meet Sammy for the first time and Sammy told him that and he I guess he didn't realize that until then. So it was kind of a cool confluence.
00:22:03:03 - 00:22:19:23
Speaker 2
So I had to actually apply that story into my time capsule as well, because it was just fun to to see all those things come together. It's stories like that that are just, you know, almost to, you know, I can't fathom sometimes what some of these men go have went through.
00:22:20:01 - 00:22:39:05
Speaker 2
And then they come out of it and is still be humble and to say, you know, I don't wear this medal for me. I wear it for those who couldn't come home, or I wear it for the brothers. I fought with it beside it moves me. I mean, I think you know that that humility and that selflessness is something I would carry forward with me the rest of my life.
00:22:39:07 - 00:22:46:02
Speaker 1
I'm so inspired by your day to day. I'm kind of curious. What does your family think that your day to day looks like, and what does it actually look like?
00:22:46:02 - 00:23:02:21
Speaker 2
I've I've been in, the nonprofit sector for a while. I still don't think my kids ever understand what it is. I do, but I would love to take them to an event with Medal of Honor recipients so they can get to meet some of these guys. And, I think that would that would bring it home. So I think they think I mean, there's a lot of travel involved in this work.
00:23:02:23 - 00:23:22:12
Speaker 2
I'm always off at events. I'm always off trying to, you know, shamelessly say that we, you know, we need to raise money to keep this thing going. And so I'm off trying to find and locate new resources. And, if any of your listeners are so moved to support us, you know, the website, as I described earlier, CMO Sorg is a good place to start.
00:23:22:14 - 00:23:43:20
Speaker 2
But so I travel a lot. I'm always trying to, find new partners and new new friends for the foundation. So they probably think I'm off, you know, jet setting everywhere. The honest answer is that a lot of times it's just, working at a away in an office, just trying to, to figure out what our next path forward is.
00:23:43:20 - 00:23:56:23
Speaker 2
So, a little bit of both, but it's if I can get my kids and my family to feel more of that patriotic spirit, like I feel based on this work, then I feel like it's a it's a nice added benefit no matter what.
00:23:57:02 - 00:24:16:07
Speaker 1
Most of us around the world heard about the Medal of Honor, but I would love to hear you speak to, you know, what does it represent? The symbolism. What's on it? How is it awarded? I thought, you know, thinking back to that clip from Forrest Gump, I think a lot of us have seen that clip. I was absolutely delighted to hear that back story on the Tom Hanks thing.
00:24:16:07 - 00:24:22:03
Speaker 1
But but please, if you could share a little bit of context for for those who may not know, you know very much about it.
00:24:22:03 - 00:24:43:03
Speaker 2
Great question. And I do encourage everyone to, to go learn more about it. If you if you're listening to this podcast right now or have heard it, then maybe a nice homework assignment that won't take much more than more ten more minutes of your time is to go to our website, look at the recipient videos, find one that looks interesting to you, and just click play and let it go and you'll hear an extraordinary story.
00:24:43:03 - 00:25:08:16
Speaker 2
You'll get to meet an American hero in that moment. And so I just encourage you to do that. The Medal of Honor stems from going all the way back to the Civil War. And since the Medal of Honor, was established and it was first awarded by Abraham Lincoln, only about 3500, just over 3500 have been bestowed. Now, if you match that up to the millions of people who served it, is it a highly exclusive, set of individuals who have received it?
00:25:08:18 - 00:25:38:06
Speaker 2
As I said before, our 61 are living today, so, obviously that that's, even smaller group. And so it's for all branches of the military currently. So you anyone, that ranging from, you know, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force even can award Medals of Honor. And so they are given by the president of the United States on behalf of Congress to the individuals when they receive them.
00:25:38:06 - 00:25:59:22
Speaker 2
So for most of the people in America, anyway, you might recognize the ceremony that happens in the white House with the president putting the medal around the neck of the recipient. And that, you know, most presidents have had an opportunity to at least do that at least once, if not more. Now, as you know, again, since we're in very different times, we may not see as many medals bestowed, and that would actually be great.
00:26:00:00 - 00:26:22:12
Speaker 2
Our Medal of Honor recipients say, you know, they hope they go extinct. Because what that means because it's a combat medal. What that means is we're not engaged in the vicious combat that would result in an award of that kind. And so, it's kind of a conundrum to say, like, we, you know, you want to honor and support it, but at the same time, we hope it someday it's not necessary because we're a piece.
00:26:22:12 - 00:26:34:18
Speaker 2
And we found a way to is to deal with differences without, going to war. And so, you know, that's, that's essentially a history of it, the symbolism. There's a blue ribbon,
00:26:34:18 - 00:26:42:23
Speaker 2
on the ribbon are the 13 stars that represent the original 13 colonies, United States. There are three different versions of the medal, and this is all highlighted on our website.
00:26:42:23 - 00:26:58:16
Speaker 2
Now, do better than me trying to remember it all. So I encourage you to go do that. Three versions. There's some great symbolism in the imagery, and on our website you can click on the various things. It'll show you. The current designs have been in place for a long time. I think there's plans or thoughts around, you know, looking at that into the future.
00:26:58:16 - 00:27:22:00
Speaker 2
But that basically is is what what they are for. And it's only worn around. It's the only military decoration worn around the neck. Most others are one year. And it is, as a tradition, states everyone, all military, including the president. The United States salutes, a medal of honor recipient. So there's a little bit of history about it.
00:27:22:02 - 00:27:40:01
Speaker 2
The, the stories of of those who've received it. Again, can't say it enough. Stuff made for movies, really. I mean, if you and I would say that's another simple thing. There's some really great movies that have been made about some of the stories of these men that could give you an illustration or an insight into what it takes to earn earn this medal.
00:27:40:01 - 00:27:43:04
Speaker 1
John, thank you very much for the history lesson. I really put you on the spot there.
00:27:43:05 - 00:27:55:11
Speaker 2
I tried, I tried my best. We have some people on staff who are so brilliant at that and, they're probably going to admonish me if I screwed anything up there. There's some really deep and interesting history that goes into it that I encourage all to, to explore.
00:27:55:12 - 00:28:03:07
Speaker 1
John, thank you so much for joining the show today. Just before we wrap up, how can listeners follow your mission support you? Keep in touch.
00:28:03:07 - 00:28:26:22
Speaker 2
Cmo.org on there's many things. It's a website itself is a, program of ours because we've got so much living history video and things like that that you can find there. I also encourage you to follow the Congressional Medal of Honor Society on social networks. If you're on Instagram, Facebook, especially, and LinkedIn, those would be great places to, to follow.
00:28:27:00 - 00:28:37:21
Speaker 2
And we also have some great videos out on YouTube and on Vimeo so you can find our channels there. So like any other entity you can, you can find as much or as you want out there about what we do.
00:28:37:21 - 00:28:50:21
Speaker 1
John, I want to thank you so much for coming on the show today. It was a pleasure chatting with you about the foundation and about your sacred mission. Hugely inspired. We're all cheering you on and, we are wishing you the best for the fall. Thank you so much for coming on the show.
00:28:50:21 - 00:29:09:08
Speaker 2
Thank you very much for having me. And again, if anyone out there believes, like me, that the coming generation could use the lessons and the stories and the inspiration of the Medal of Honor recipients and the legacy of the medal, then I invite you to to find a way to get involved. We'd love to have you, as part of our family.
00:29:09:10 - 00:29:19:21
Speaker 2
Thank you, Matthew, for what you do to to spotlight, a lot of the the, the, the powerful things that people are doing to support veterans and military personnel. And, just a pleasure to be with you today.
00:29:25:07 - 00:29:44:17
Speaker 1
Thanks so much for tuning in. Story. Behind the Stone is available on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, and on the Rise Across America Radio Network on iHeartRadio. Audacity and tune in to search for wreath. We air every Thursday at 10 a.m. eastern on the Red Cross Radio Network. Thank you for tuning in.