Oldest Medal of Honor Recipient

Oldest Medal of Honor Recipient Visits Gainesville

More than a dozen recipients of the nation's highest award for valor will gather April 3-5 for the annual event that is gaining national attention.

"There are only 105 living recipients of the Medal of Honor; we've lost two just in the last couple of weeks," said Mike McHorse, president of the Gainesville Medal of Honor Host City program.

They constitute a rare and dwindling natural resource. We want to give our young people and students the opportunity to meet and be inspired by these men who have given so much, and continue to give to our nation," McHorse said.

The non-profit program is entering its ninth year and in that time has hosted more than 20 individual recipients from America's last three wars - World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Three Medals of Honor have been awarded in the War on Terror- all posthumously.

McHorse said that this year's event features heroes of the Ia Drang Valley - the pivotal 1965 battle in South Vietnam. Bruce Crandall, then an Army 7th Air Cavalry helicopter pilot, was just recently awarded with the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Ia Drang more than 40 years ago. Joe Marm, then a young platoon commander, was awarded the Medal for his heroism in the same battle.

The Host City program will reunite Crandall and Marm, with former United Press International combat correspondent Joe Galloway, co-author of "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young" on which the Mel Gibson move, "We Were Soldiers Once" was based. Lieutenant General Hal Moore who commanded a battalion of the 7th Air Cav at the Ia Drang's lZ Xray is Galloway's co-author.

Most activities over the three-day Medal of Honor weekend are open to the public.

Thursday, April 3, students from Gainesville and surrounding communities will have the opportunity to hear the recipients speak in morning session in the First State Bank Center for Performing Arts at North Central Texas College.

A special session open to the public has been added for 1:30-2:30 pm that afternoon.

Friday, April 4, begins with a 10:30 a.m. tree planting and plaque dedication ceremony along Gainesville's Home Grown Walking Trail; since it's inception, the Medal of Honor Host City has planted an oak tree and set a plaque for each recipient on their first visit to the city.

A special school program honoring the recipients will be held at Lee Elementary School Friday afternoon.

Highlighting "MOH Weekend" will be the Saturday, April 5, parade down Gainesville's California Street that will feature WWII and Vietnam era military vehicles, the Ft. Sill Army Band, a Texas A&M Cadet Honor Guard, law enforcement patrol units from North Texas and Southern Oklahoma, antique Rolls Royces and Bentleys, and many other entrants as well as a fly-over by vintage warbirds.

A special touch for the nation's only Medal of Honor Host City is a gesture by Gainesville's Police Department. All city patrol cars bear the Host City logo and every Medal of Honor recipient who has visited Gainesville will find "his" car bears his name, rank, and war.

Immediately following the parade will be an autograph session and book signing at the First State Bank Conference Center. Copies of New York Times Best Sellers, Medal of Honor - Portraits of Valor Above and Beyond the Call of Duty, and Joe Galloway's We Were Soliders Once...and Young, as well as Medal of Honor recipient and frequent Gainesville visitor, Drew Dix who will be autographing his combat memoir Rescue of River City, will be available for purchase.

This year's Parade Grand Marshal is Lt. John Finn, USN (Ret) who was awarded the first Medal of Honor of World War II for his heroics at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Finn will be 99 in July.

Herschel "Woody" Williams, one of only three surviving Medal of Honor Recipients from the battle of Iwo Jima, will be a first time visitor to the Host City.

Once again, the Saturday night April 5 banquet is a sell-out. Three hundred attendees will gather at the Gainesville Civic Center, 311 S. Weaver St. for socilal hour at 6:00 pm and dinner at 7:00 pm.

Guest host for the evening is long-time Fox News commentator and best-selling author John Gibson and Galloway will serve as the guest speaker.

In addition to first time visitors Marm, Crandall, and Williams, will be Vietnam Medal of Honor recipients and returning visitors John Baca, Drew Dix, Doc Ballard, Clarence Sasser, Mike Thornton, Bob O'Malley, David McNerney, James Taylor, and Korean War recipient James Stone.

"Our goal is to recognize our nation's military and veteran's by giving our citizens, especially our young people, a chance to meet and talk to those who have an inspiring message of service, duty, and patriotism," said McHorse.

The all-volunteer, non-profit Medal of Honor Host City organization limits public activities to four or five events over three days so that the recipients and their guests can relax and visit with one another in an environment of small town America. However, the primary emphasis is ot bring those who have received the nation's highest honor together with local citizens and expecially students.

The Medal of Honor Program is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is funded entirely by local donations.

For more information on the Medal of Honor Program click here.