In celebration of Medal of Honor Day on March 25th, Americans from all walks of life are invited to send Medal of Honor recipients personal letters thanking them for their service and sacrifice
ARLINGTON, TX – (February 11, 2021) – The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation (NMOHMF) is joining forces with Janine Stange to host the fifth annual Medal of Honor Mail Call, inviting Americans to learn about the heroic acts of our nation’s Medal of Honor recipients and send them personalized letters thanking them for their service and sacrifice.
Medal of Honor Mail Call harkens back to the days before email, FaceTime and texting, when hearing a sergeant yell “Mail Call” meant soldiers had received a letter from home. Back then, Mail Calls were one of the few opportunities for soldiers on the battlefield to hear from their loved ones, providing them with a moment of joy in an otherwise tumultuous time.
Stange launched the effort in 2017 as a way for students, businesses and individuals to learn about – and personally thank – our nation’s heroes. Since being established in 1861 by President Abraham Lincoln, fewer than 4,000 brave Americans have received the nation’s highest award for valor in combat. Of those, only 69 recipients are alive today. Through the program, Stange and NMOHMF will collect letters, postcards, drawings and paintings from grateful Americans all across the country that will be mailed directly to those 69 living recipients.
“In this day and age when many Americans do not know a single active duty or retired service member, the Medal of Honor Mail Call provides a simple way for everyday Americans to learn from and connect with those who have sacrificed so much for our country,” said Stange, a motivational speaker and singer who was the first person to perform the National Anthem in all 50 states.
The first Medal of Honor was awarded to Jacob Parrott on March 25, 1863. In 1990, Congress passed a resolution establishing March 25th as National Medal of Honor Day, a national holiday honoring the Medal and its recipients. Over the life of Medal of Honor Mail Call, thousands of thoughtful pieces have been collected, bundled, packaged and sent to Medal of Honor recipients. In 2019, more than 12,000 letters were collected in just three weeks, including one from a young student who wrote: “I know you say you don’t consider yourself a hero, but you found yourself in a situation where you had a choice to act selfishly or selflessly, and you chose the latter. I want you to know that I want to be the same way.”
“The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation is excited to partner with Janine on this memorable project. In addition to honoring the most heroic among us, one of the main goals of the Museum is to reinforce the patriotic bonds that bring us together. The Medal of Honor Mail Call is a tangible way to bring civilians and service members together to celebrate the values that unite us,” said NMOHMF CEO James T. Connors.
Details about the program – including how to select a Medal of Honor recipient, where to send letters, and the deadlines for submissions – may be found at https://mohmuseum.org/mail-call-2021/. If you are leading a group in this mission, for example a school, class, team, church, company or department, please visit Janine’s website to be assigned a recipient.
This year’s Medal of Honor Mail Call comes as NMOHMF continues building momentum towards the 2024 grand opening of the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas. In just the first five weeks of 2021, the museum announced additions to our Board of Directors and Museum Advisory Board and celebrated the introduction of the National Medal of Honor Monument Act in Congress.
