Past U.S. presidents to serve as honorary directors for National Medal of Honor Museum

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Mt. PLEASANT - The National Medal of Honor Museum announced Monday that former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have joined as honorary directors of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation. "The mission of the museum and its attendant education center, which will be built in Mt. Pleasant, on the banks of Charleston Harbor, will be to commemorate the stories our our Medal of Honor recipients, unite Americans around what it means to be patriotic and inspire us to find the hero within ourselves," said National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation Chairman Bill Phillips. "The MOHM is a non-profit educational organization established to preserve and present the stories of the nation's Medal of Honor recipients; to help visitors understand what it means to put service above self; and to inspire current and future generations about the medal's ideals of patriotism, leadership and courage." The museum made its announcement and also released a video depicting renderings of the facility. "We are proud to have the support of our former presidents," Phillips said. "The museum will serve as a living legacy of heroism, and there are no better leaders to champion that effort." Museum CEO Mark K. Updegrave agreed. "Presidents Obama, George W. Bush, Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Carter all had the solemn duty of representing our armed forces as our nation's commanders-in-chief, and each considered honoring our military heroes for bravery as one of their highest callings." Obama said he was proud to be included in a letter accepting his position as one of the honorary directors. "The courageous individuals who have received this award embody the very best in the country's character, putting service above self and demonstrating the highest form of patriotism," he said in the letter to the museum. "I look forward to seeing all the outstanding work the museum will do in the years to come." For more information, visit www.mohmuseum.org.