Medal of Honor recipients arrive in North Texas
NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – Recipients of the Medal of Honor got a big welcome as they arrived in North Texas Wednesday afternoon. A police motorcade escorted them from DFW Airport to Gainesville.
"It's just great to see that we honor these guys that have earned this great award," Roanoke resident Angie Grimm said.
Southlake resident Salvador Valdez made sure his two young sons didn't miss it.
"As a prior service member, something I've instilled in them is service is a big thing and any time we can honor those who have given a lot for our country, that's something we want to do," he said.
Since 1861, the president has awarded more than 3,500 Medals of Honor, the highest U.S. military award for valor.
In 2001, the Cooke County city of Gainesville launched a host program and since then, more than 50 living recipients have attended an annual weekend of events. They inspire the community with messages of patriotism, sacrifice, courage and life values.
Vietnam veteran Bruce Krieger loves seeing the show of support.
"It does my heart good," the Southlake resident said. "We weren't treated as well as we should have been when we got back, but it was a very different time and now the patriotism in the country seems to have come back and I'm just really, really happy to see that."
The National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, which broke ground last year, another reflection of this. It's being built at AT&T Way and Nolan Ryan Expressway.
The museum's president gave a look at the progress.
"We've got this steel going on top of the concrete structure arriving this week and more to come as the months unfold," Chris Cassidy said. "Throughout the summer, we'll have the exhibit box come to life and take shape. We're really excited about it."
"It's very important that we the people show our respect for the guys who have really done something way above and beyond," Krieger said.
There will be several events through the week honoring the veterans. Some of them are open to the public. Learn more here.