March 25, Medal of Honor Day recognized
At 13 years of age, Willie Johnston from Salem, part of Derby, remains the youngest individual to receive the Medal of Honor.
The words “Medal of Honor,” bring to mind the military men and women who went far beyond the expectations of duty, many dying to save fellow comrades or shipmates. Vermont has a number of Medal of Honor recipients: 64 individuals who were born, enlisted or commissioned in Vermont.
Dating to the Civil War when the Medal of Honor was established, Vermont can claim some unique recipients, the youngest being Willie Johnston, only 13 years of age, from Salem, part of Derby. Johnston remains the youngest individual to receive the Medal of Honor. Two of the only eight Medals of Honor presented to submariners are credited to Vermont; the first submariner and only enlisted submariner, Henry Breault, of Grand Isle, received the Medal of Honor from President Calvin Coolidge.
In 1991, President George Bush signed into law the establishment of March 25 as Medal of Honor Day. The first Medal of Honor was awarded on March 25, 1863, to remind the country of the valor, bravery, and unshakable courage displayed while in harm’s way at the risk of the recipient’s life.
Over 40 million men and women have served in the US military, just over 3,500 have been awarded the Medal of Honor, with the most recent 100-year-old retired Navy Captain Royce Williams, for action during the Korean War, and the oldest individual to receive the Medal.
Information on the Medal of Honor is available at https://www.cmohs.org and https://vermonthistory.org/medal-of-honor-civil-war-military-vermont-his....
Every day, America’s service members selflessly put their lives on the line to keep the country safe and free. Please take a moment to let troops know that service and sacrifice are appreciated.
On March 25, at 3 pm, there will be a reading by the Vermont Legislature, a joint House and Senate resolution honoring our Vermont heroes. The public is invited to attend.
