Concern has been raised about the level with which Master Sergeant John Chapman’s Medal of Honor story will be told in the Museum. Individuals who have contacted the Museum are under the impression his story will not be included in the first rotation when the Museum opens in March. The purpose of this memorandum is to address this concern. His story will be included from day one, as has always been the plan.

The mission of the National Medal of Honor Museum is to preserve the legacies and stories of those who have received the Medal and to share their examples as inspiration to current and future generations of Americans to live with purpose, being willing to take courageous action on behalf of others in their own communities when a moment requires it. By preserving and sharing Medal of Honor recipient stories, we elevate the aspirational ideals behind the Medal and remember with gratitude not just the 3,526 recipients, but all 40 million individuals who served by their sides.

Importantly, the Museum does not play any role in deciding who is awarded the Medal of Honor and does not weigh in when there are discussions in the public arena about the merits of who is or who may be awarded the Medal.

Since the architect and design was selected for this iconic Museum, we have been involved in an ongoing, iterative process of planning exhibits and building a collection of artifacts to support and enrich the Museum storytelling experience.

The National Medal of Honor Museum will feature a variety of exhibits within its walls. Some are more traditional museum experiences containing artifacts with photos and text while other areas will allow visitors to immerse themselves within these powerful stories through new audio and video technology. Visitors will have many ways to connect with recipients and discover how all recipients’ stories are connected through the values of the Medal. At the heart of the Museum are the faces, the names, and the stories of these extraordinary individuals.

All 3,526 Medal of Honor recipients are also literally at the heart of the Museum as each name is included in the powerful and moving Ring of Valor. This central feature of the project surrounds the Rotunda of Honor at the Museum’s core and has been designed like a monument – illuminated 24 hours a day and able to be viewed and appreciated even after hours. Through the Museum’s online

database, visitors also will be able to access a recipient’s full Medal of Honor citation and additional information about their life and acts of valor and service. As the first stop on any Museum visitor’s journey, the Ring of Valor allows for each recipient to be recognized equally.

Unsurprisingly, it is not possible to tell 3,526 stories in a museum’s exhibits at one time. The stories told, images selected, and individuals highlighted on opening day represent the first of many rotations of stories which the Museum plans to tell long into the future.

When deciding which recipients to feature in the first rotation, there were two high level objectives:

First, to include as many recipients as possible in a way that provides some context about their lives. On opening day, visitors will encounter 341 of our nation’s Medal of Honor recipients in the main exhibits.

And second, to mirror the make-up of the Medal itself in terms of service branch, conflict, race, ethnicity, gender, and story.

The team strove to accurately reflect proportion based on the number of Medals received by each service branch. As noted below, the Army has, by far, the greatest number of Medals of all military branches. Because of that, they proportionally will have more recipients represented in the Museum than the others. Additionally, because there are far fewer Medals from the Coast Guard or Air Force, their representation is a comparatively smaller number yet aligned with the broader breakdown of Medals awarded over time.

Of the 341 recipients visitors will encounter in the Museum’s exhibits on opening day, there are various depths of curated content ranging from a single photograph to inclusion in a highly immersive tech interactive, short film, or a more traditional exhibit with text panels and artifacts.

The level of treatment given to each recipient is based largely on available, relevant materials. Because museum storytelling is intimately tied to physical and visual history, the recipient stories receiving the most in-depth coverage in the initial rotation are those for whom we were able to work with family members or other academic institutions to be entrusted with a significant number of artifacts and unique personal items which can be displayed to help bring their story to life. Our efforts to build relationships with Medal of Honor families and grow the collection and loans entrusted to us will continue in perpetuity so more and more stories can be told in depth in future rotations.

The process to determine which recipients receive specific placement within the exhibits began in 2020 when the content team, comprised of historians along with collections and exhibits professionals, began to expand on research related to the Medal of Honor – including the collection of media, photographs, film, and audio recordings as well as historical artifacts. The exhibits and their included recipients were finalized in March 2024 to allow for fabrication of exhibit elements to begin.

Beyond the Museum’s internal content team, other members of the Museum Foundation staff were consulted, along with veterans, recipient families, design partners, and an external Advisory Panel. This panel is made up of historians and academics with expertise in their fields and a passion for teaching Medal of Honor history.

When evaluating individual coverage of recipients included in the exhibits by word count, Master Sergeant Chapman is among the top 25 percent. Additionally, he is one of only 14 recipients to have video specific to their individual story included as part of their presence in the exhibits. The unique video associated with Master Sergeant Chapman is extremely significant to the 160-year history of the Medal because it is the first time drone footage was used to replace the requirement for eyewitness testimonies confirming specific acts of valor. The video therefore represents a turning point in the traditional verification criteria for how Medals of Honor are awarded and is part of the Museum’s permanent exhibit which will not be subject to our planned regular rotation. This means Master Sergeant Chapman will remain a featured recipient for the foreseeable future.

Concerns raised about Master Sergeant Chapman also have included the suggestion that other recipients may have received preferential placement in the exhibits because of their close involvement with the project, to include roles as board members. No preference was given to board member Medal of Honor recipients and, to their great credit, it was the board member recipients who specifically asked to be treated no differently in exhibit consideration than their peers. Seven Medal of Honor recipients have served on the Foundation board since exhibit planning began. Of

the seven, only two are covered more extensively by word count in the exhibits than Master Sergeant Chapman.

As a Foundation, we understand and appreciate the passion of those who have reached out to the Museum on this topic. At the end of the day, we value all stories of Medal of Honor recipients equally and share the same desire to see more recipients recognized, celebrated, appreciated, and emulated. Opening a national museum in their honor – at long last – is just one step the entire country should be very proud of as we ensure the sacrifices of these great Americans are not forgotten and their legacies live on to inspire generations to come.

Chris Cassidy