Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial

Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial
Visitors to Indianapolis will find the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial along the Canal Walk near downtown Indianapolis between the White River State Park and Military Park on the Canal Walk. The site is also the first recorded point where the city of Indianapolis held it first Independence Day Celebration. On the north bank of the Central Canal, this was also the site of a Union Army camp during the American Civil War.
Dedicated in 999, this was the first memorial of its type in the United States. The Memorial honors the nations Medal of Honor’s recipients.
It consists of 15 curved walls that contain 27 green-backed glass panels that have the names of the Medal’s recipients engraved on them.
From the Book
East Central Indiana Day Trips

Transcript:

Greetings, today we visit the Medal of Honor Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana

Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial
Visitors to Indianapolis will find the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial along the Canal Walk near downtown Indianapolis between the White River State Park and Military Park on the Canal Walk. The site is also the first recorded point where the city of Indianapolis held it first Independence Day Celebration. On the north bank of the Central Canal, this was also the site of a Union Army camp during the American Civil War.

Indianapolis businessman John Hodowal and his wife Caroline envisioned the memorial after he read an article about a meeting of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society in June 1998. Hodowal was the president of Indianapolis Power & Light (IPALCO). The company sponsored the Memorial.

Landscape architects Ann Reed and Eric Fulford received the commission to design the Memorial. Workers began preparing the site in November 1998 with actual construction beginning in January 1999. The memorial consists of two overlapping circular arcs. Access to the memorial is by concrete ramps and stairs. It is about 800 feet long and 48 feet wide. The dedication took place on Memorial Day, May 28, 1999. The Memorial honors the nations Medal of Honor’s recipients.

It consists of 15 curved walls that contain 27 green-backed glass panels that have the names of the Medal’s recipients engraved on them. The panels are set on metal frames that are between 7 and 10 feet tall. The Memorial includes 15 wars in which soldiers received the Medal of Honor from the Civil War to date. A sophisticated lighting system illuminates certain panels while an audio program recites stories about some of the medal’s recipients over loudspeakers at dusk. Actual recipients narrate some of the stories.

The memorial has the names of 3525 recipients and it was the first of its kind in the United States.

Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial
650 W. Washington St., White River State Park
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-261-5447

Established by an act of Congress during the beginning days of the American Civil War on December 21, 1862, the law authorized a December 9 resolution introduced by Iowa Senator James W. Grimes. This Medal of Honor was to “promote the efficiency of the Navy,” by awarding a medal for acts that went above and beyond the call of duty. Congress authorized an Army version on July 12, 1862. The Air Force received a version on April 14, 1965. The Medal of Honor is awarded only to members of the United States Military. The Marines and Coast Guard personnel receive the naval version of the Medal.
Awarding the Medal of Honor
Typically, a request for awarding a Medal of Honor ascends up through the chain of command from the proposed recipient’s commanding officer until it reaches the Secretary of Defense, who will pass the recommendation on to a member of Congress. Typically, this member is from the proposed recipients Congressional District. Alternatively, a member of Congress can introduce a resolution without this chain of command. The chain of command process can take up to eighteen months to complete. If Congress approves the resolution to award the Medal of Honor to an individual, the President of the United States personally awards the Medal to the recipient at a White House ceremony, in the name of Congress. If the award is posthumous, or the recipient is unable to participate, the next of kin will receive the award in their stead. Currently Congress has awarded 3,515 Medals of Honor since its establishment during the Civil War.
Current guidelines for awarding the Medal of Honor, established by Congress in 1963:

1. While engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States;
   2, while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or,
   3, while serving with friendly forces engaged in armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.

Congressional Medal of Honor Society
40 Patriots Point Road
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
medalhq@cmohs.org
http://www.cmohs.org

The episode is based upon my book, East Central Indiana Day Trips , available on the web site, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. The book is the fifth book in the 9 volume Road Trip Indiana Series. The books include all the historical markers, as of 2022, in Indiana with the text and back story. The books also include a nearly complete listing of virtually every tourism destination in the state. The destinations include parks, museums, drive in theaters, bowling alleys, wineries and much, much more. I encourage you to visit the web site and subscribe to it. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.
You can find my books locally at the at the Romweber Marketplace in downtown Batesville, Indiana.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.