Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2016

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have passed away in the past year: Marine Pvt. Hector
A. Cafferata Jr., Army Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia, Army Cpl.
Tibor Rubin and Army Pvt. George T. Sakato.
Livingston said he is optimistic that construction on
the three-building, 107,000-square-foot complex will
begin in 2017 and take around 18 months to complete.
The five-story museum will include a 240-seat auditorium;
a store; a chapel; conference, classroom and meeting space;
a small café; a 140-seat chapel; and administrative offices.
The entire project is expected to cost in the neighborhood
of $110 million, most of that money coming from private
donations large and small, according to Livingston. He
said by the end of 2016, the state of South Carolina will
have contributed $5 million, while the town of Mount
Pleasant is spending $1.5 million to change the route of
Patriots Point Boulevard.
The museum eventually will replace the Medal of
Honor Museum currently located aboard the USS
Yorktown at Patriots Point. Livingston said Congress
is expected to act to designate the new facility as the
National Medal of Honor Museum.
“We’ll move everything possible from the Yorktown
location to the National Medal of Honor Museum,”
Livingston said.
The museum will serve as a testament to the courage
and determination of the nation’s Medal of Honor
recipients, but it also will offer an array of exhibits and
programs aimed at educating the public on subjects
including the need for a standing Army; the history of
the medal; and the role U.S. presidents have played in
awarding the medal. Most importantly, according to the
museum’s website, “We want visitors to understand the
meaning and price of freedom and appreciate what it
means to put service above self.”
The Character Development Program will be aimed at
promoting courage, patriotism and sacrifice among middle
and high school students, while the museum’s Citizen
Honors Program will recognize Americans who aren’t in
the military but “have made a difference in the lives of
others through a singular act of extraordinary heroism or
through a continued commitment of putting others first.”
Since 2008, the program has honored a total of 36 people,
always on March 25 – Medal of Honor Day.
Besides wanting to complete the museum before the
rest of the World War II and Korean War recipients are
gone, Livingston cited another reason for his dedication to
bringing the project to reality.
“I want to leave the legacy of the Medal of Honor
behind to the young kids of this country,” he said. “I want
them to have a unique experience. I want them to feel they
want to give something back to their country.”
Actor, director and musician Gary Sinise is the national
advisor and spokesman for the museum.
The Medal of Honor Museum will sit on land owned
by the state of South Carolina and leased from Patriots
Point at a cost of $1 a year. The National Medal of Honor
Museum Foundation has an option to lease another six
acres adjacent to the museum property, at fair market
value, according to Patriots Point Executive Director Mac
Burdette. It’s possible, Burdette said, that both Patriots
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The National Medal of Honor Museum will serve as a testament to the courage and determination of those who went above and beyond in the
service of their country.
Photo courtesy of Joint Base Charleston.