![]() ![]() “This is a great symbol of our history, and a great way to preserve these veterans’ legacy. “Ordinary people in their beginning, but with extraordinary courage in their military service,” he said.Ĭapito, who spent the morning at the center, got a closer look at the wall along with Williams and Cooke later on. It’s earned by capturing the flag and defending the line, by those who were willing to put themselves in front of a bullet or another man,” he said. “The Medal of Honor is not something you win. Paul, Minn., a VA spokesman said.Ĭooke, who watched the wall become a reality, said it was an honor to be part of the process. That’s because his Medal of Honor accreditation point was St. Wilson, an Army buffalo soldier from Hagerstown who earned the honor for bravery during the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890, is not on the wall. Hugh Carroll Frazer from Martinsburg, W.Va. Three veterans from the Tri-State are among those honored, including Lt. “Most people would not have known the names of these veterans, but with this memory wall, their names will be forever known,” he said. Their service dates to the Civil War and also includes the ongoing war on terror, he said. The 45 veterans featured locally on the 63-foot long wall are from the medical center’s catchment area that covers 22 counties in four states. “Most of them would not have expected to receive our nation’s highest award for valor for doing something above and beyond the call of duty,” he said. It’s about them, and these veterans are the reason we’re here,” he said. not the Ohio River,” he said with a chuckle.ĭespite years of advocacy work, he declined to take credit for this and the other memorial walls in Clarksburg and Beckley. ![]() We don’t hold it against them - they were just smarter. That includes the Huntington VA, which “takes care of some of those Kentuckians, and those Ohioans who stole our river. Some VA centers, including the Martinsburg facility, also honor recipients from other states, he said. Now it’s time for the rest of the country to catch up, he said. 1,” he said, pausing briefly as audience members applauded. “West Virginia is the first state to pay tribute to all of our Medal of Honor recipients in the areas served by medical centers. He was honored for heroism beyond the call of duty during the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. Department of Veterans Affairs veterans service representative. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and medical center director Timothy J. Hershel “Woody” Willams, the only living West Virginia recipient of the Medal of Honor, took part in the event, along with U.S. Martinsburg VA Medical Center officials were joined by more than 100 people to see the new wall recognizing area Medal of Honor recipients. The final piece of the statewide effort was unveiled Friday morning. It’s taken years, but each of the state’s four VA medical centers now has its own Medal of Honor Wall commemorating veterans who received the nation’s highest military honor. West Virginia is first for something good. Medal of Honor Wall unveiled at Martinsburg VA Medical Center ![]()
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