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President Donald Trump signed legislation Thursday authorizing the future National Medal of Honor Monument to be located within the Reserve of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., near the Lincoln Memorial, during a ceremony honoring Medal of Honor recipients in Arlington, Texas.
Trump signed the Hershel “Woody” Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act at the National Medal of Honor Museum after touring the museum and meeting more than a dozen recipients.
The legislation does not create the monument itself, which Congress previously authorized in 2021. Instead, it allows the future monument to be located within the Reserve, a protected area of the National Mall that includes some of Washington’s most prominent monuments and memorials.
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President Donald Trump takes the stage during an event at the National Medal of Honor Museum on Thursday in Arlington, Texas. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Trump greeted and shook hands with recipients before taking the stage for the signing ceremony.
“We’re privileged to have with us 15 of the 65 living recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor,” Trump told the audience.
“When I see the recipients of the Congressional Medal, those that are living, many are dead. They died. And, they died in battle. Some of the battles are I read inscriptions of what took place. That level of bravery is incredible,” Trump said.
The act is named for Williams, a Marine who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima and was the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient when he died in 2022.
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Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Hershel Woody Williams salutes while standing at the new Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in downtown Pensacola on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020. (Gregg Pachkowski/Imagn)
Trump recounted Williams’ heroism before recognizing members of his family who attended the ceremony.
“In the Battle of Iwo Jima, he carved a path to American victory, literally carved a path, so soldiers could get in and win through a deadly gantlet of enemy strongholds,” Trump said.
“And back and forth, he went. He just kept going back and forth,” Trump continued. “And one machine gun nest after another. He knocked [them] out, and he did it for hours and hours. People said they’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation Chairman Charlotte Jones said 16 of the nation’s 65 living Medal of Honor recipients were present at the museum Thursday.
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The coffin of Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams is carried down the East Front Center Steps of the U.S. Capitol during a ceremony after lying in honor in Washington, D.C., on July 14, 2022. (Anna Rose Layden)
“This is not a war museum. This is a museum about heart, about courage, about sacrifice and patriotism,” Jones said.
The museum foundation said the effort to create and locate the monument has received eight votes in Congress over six years, all unanimously. The location act itself also passed both chambers without opposition, according to the foundation.
Jones said that bipartisan support reflected the significance of the Medal of Honor and the values associated with it.
“That is the inspirational power of the Medal of Honor,” Jones said. “And that is why this project matters.”
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President Donald Trump signs the Hershel “Woody” Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act during an event at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The future monument will be located near the Lincoln Memorial, though its precise site has not yet been selected. The National Park Service will award the specific site, after which the foundation said it will launch a design competition.
No federal funds will be used to construct the monument, according to the foundation, which will raise the money needed for the project.
Trump also reflected on the sacrifices represented by the recipients gathered for Thursday’s ceremony.
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President Donald Trump signs the Hershel “Woody” Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)
“People like this, they stood tall when their country needed heroes,” Trump said.
“They carried the wounded out of battle and on their own backs and carried them back and forth,” he continued. “They gave their bodies the shields for their brothers at arms. They stood in the way of bullets, purposely standing just like this and taking bullets. And it’s amazing. These are amazing.”
Trump said the future monument, together with the museum, would provide a permanent way to preserve those stories.
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President Donald Trump holds up the Hershel “Woody” Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act after signing it during an event at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“With this museum and a new monument in Washington, D.C., America will never, ever forget what they did and what they risked and how much they risked, what they meant to their families and what they’ve meant to our country,” Trump said.
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The White House told Fox News Digital that the signing was intended to recognize the recipients’ service and sacrifice.
“Medal of Honor recipients represent the very best of America. President Trump honored their courage today, and a new monument will ensure the nation never forgets their valor and sacrifice,” White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said.