(Aired Tues 1/06/26)
Chattanooga is the birthplace of the Medal of Honor, this nation’s highest military award for valor.
Last fall, this city for the first time hosted the National Medal of Honor Celebration Convention, in partnership with the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.
The capstone event - the Patriot Awards Gala - was held at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Before it began, we heard from actor Gary Sinise, who emceed the gala.
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Medal of Honor recipients from around the country traveled to Chattanooga for last fall’s convention.
Among them: Florent Groberg, who as a U.S. Army captain was awarded the medal in 2015 after he was severely injured attempting to thwart a suicide bomber in Afghanistan.
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Will Swenson is another Medal of Honor recipient who came to last fall’s convention here in Chattanooga.
In 2013, he was awarded the Medal for his actions during a battle near the Afghanistan-Paksistan border - the first living officer to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.
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As Secretary of Defense, Dr. Robert Gates oversaw the U.S. military during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan under two Presidents: George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Dr. Gates received the Patriot Award at the National Medal of Honor Celebration Convention last fall here in Chattanooga - speaking to local media before the Patriot Gala.
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What the service of the U.S. military means to John Rich begins with family.
The country singer-songwriter and entrepreneur received the Bob Hope Award at the National Medal of Honor Celebration Convention last fall here in Chattanooga.
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For more about the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center here in Chattanooga, visit mohhc.org.
