National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington holds grand opening celebration Saturday
Hundreds show up for Mission to Inspire Spectacular
Hundreds of people sat on the lawn to watch the Mission to Inspire Spectacular, the closing celebration of the National Medal of Honor Museum's grand opening.
ARLINGTON, Texas - The National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington is hosting a celebration in honor of its grand opening in Arlington.
On Saturday, Medal of Honor recipients, national and military leaders, special guests and celebrities will be on hand for the official ribbon cutting at the museum. A special fireworks and drone show will follow.
The museum will be open to the public on National Medal of Honor Day, Tuesday, March 25.
National Medal of Honor Museum Grand Opening Celebration
Museum highlighting nation's heroes & sacrifices in DFW
A big patriotic celebration this weekend will kick off the grand opening of an Arlington museum. The museum highlights our nation's heroes and their sacrifices.
What we know:
On Saturday night, the National Medal of Honor Museum will hold a special evening designed to honor and celebrate recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award for valor.
32 of 61 living Medal of Honor recipients will attend the event.
TV anchor Savannah Guthrie will emcee a special dinner for the recipients before the ribbon cutting. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, actor Gary Sinise, members of Congress and dozens of current and former elected officials are also expected to be in attendance.
Musician Lee Greenwood will sing his song "God Bless the USA" at the event. Bands from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines are also expected to perform.
The Grand Opening has been designated as an Event of National Significence by the Department of Defense.
You will be able to stream the event on this page and on the free FOX LOCAL app.
What they're saying:
"Cutting the ribbon to open the National Medal of Honor Museum will be the realization of a long-awaited moment. After decades of dreams, the Medal of Honor and its Recipients will now have a proper home, where the values of courage, sacrifice, and patriotism will be preserved and shared with future generations of Americans," said U.S. Army Major General Patrick H. Brady (Ret.), Medal of Honor Recipient and member of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation Board of Directors in a statement. "This Medal – and this Museum – are for those I served with, especially the ones who never came home. I hope that visitors will learn from our stories and see that they too have it within themselves to do something great for others and make a positive impact on our country."
Mission to Inspire Spectacular
Public Celebration:
In addition to the ceremony, there will also be a free outdoor public event on Saturday night.
The National Medal of Honor Museum: Mission to Inspire Spectacular will be a family-friendly event with live music, speeches from Medal of Honor recipients, interactive exhibits and a Kids Zone.
The event will start at 7 p.m. at East Road to Six Flags on the north side of Choctaw Stadium in Arlington's Entertainment District.
There will be a fireworks and drone show starting at 9 p.m.
Admission is free, but you are asked to register here.
National Medal of Honor Museum
More on the Museum:
The National Medal of Honor Museum is located at 1861 AT&T Way in Arlington, not far from AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field.
The museum is expected to draw millions of visitors each year, honoring ordinary Americans for their extraordinary valor that earned them the highest military decoration.
The project has been in the works for the past three years.
The 100,000-square-foot facility, which features five different interactive exhibits.
The Ring of Valor encircles visitors as they walk through the front door.
Five exterior pillars represent each branch of the armed forces.
At night, a light will shine from the center of the complex, representing the U.S. Space Force.
The exhibits are also filled with thousands of artifacts, from a Huey helicopter to special momentos.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the National Medal of Honor Museum and past FOX 4 coverage.