Congressional Medal of Honor Museum on USS Yorktown to undergo $3.5M renovation

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - The Congressional Medal of Honor Museum on the USS Yorktown will be temporarily closed for the next several months due to a renovation that will cost several million dollars.

Leaders of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society said Thursday there are 66 living recipients of the nation’s highest award for military valor.

Two of those recipients, Sgt. 1st Class Melvin Morris and Master Sgt. Leroy Petry, participated in the ceremony that will see the museum undergo a $3.5 million renovation.

The society received the donation from the National Medal of Honor Leadership and Education Center.

The renovation will make the museum more interactive, tying in some of the artifacts on the ship, such as the B-25 bomber.

John Falkenbury, the society’s executive vice president, said they have called Patriots Point home since 1992. He said Congress recognized the museum on the Yorktown in 1999.

He said the museum hasn’t had a major upgrade since 2007.

Now, they’re looking forward to telling the stories of the brave men and women of the armed forces in a different way.

“The display that we’ll have about the Vietnam War will have a faux Huey cupola, and in that will be the sights and sounds of a helicopter pilot taking off or landing in Vietnam,” Falkenbury said. “At the Civil War exhibit, it will look like a Civil War log cabin. We have a drum from the Civil War.”

Officials expect to invite as many Medal of Honor recipients as possible for a soft opening in May, just before Memorial Day.

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