Matthew White
AFA Journal staff writer
March 2019 – It was December 1965. Ky Phu, Vietnam.
U.S. Marine Corps Company H was suddenly hit by a hail of enemy fire. Casualties mounted quickly. 1st Lt. Harvey C. Barnum Jr. of Cheshire, Connecticut, responded with total disregard for his own safety, gave aid to his dying commander, assumed command of the rifle company, and then requested and directed the landing of two helicopters to evacuate the dead and wounded.
For his selfless heroic action, Lt. Barnum received the prestigious Congressional Medal of Honor that traces its history back to Senate Joint Resolution #82 signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862.
The Medal of Honor Foundation, founded in 1999, has helped expand the MOH outreach to serve not only the military, but also the nation as a whole. The foundation offers many resources including books, exhibits, and scholarships to events, along with interviews and recorded stories of MOH recipients.
Character development for students
One of the foundation’s most noteworthy projects is the MOH Character Development Program, a curriculum for use in elementary and high schools to cultivate and encourage positive character traits.
Catherine Metcalf, vice president of education for the foundation, told AFA Journal the long-term goal is to make this program “accessible to as many people as possible,” especially educators and anyone who works with youth.
“[It’s important] to encourage values in young people and recognize and honor the sacrifice made by our veterans,” Metcalf said. Teachers’ feedback indicates that the program prompts students to think about their actions and the way they treat each other.
Designed by teachers, the program provides students with opportunities to explore the ideals embodied in the Medal of Honor – courage and sacrifice, commitment and integrity, citizenship and patriotism. Students are taught how to apply those ideals to everyday life by placing family, community, and nation above self.
Curriculum free for teachers
“Students genuinely are compelled to go beyond their expectations of self and are challenged to rise above the norm,” said Jody, a Louisiana teacher who uses the curriculum.
The free curriculum is organized so teachers at any level in any subject area will find plans to easily incorporate into their lessons. Student engagement is encouraged by discussing the MOH values and introducing them to true heroes in U.S. history through lessons that reinforce the skills of a given subject. In addition to character development, students are pushed to develop skills such as writing, collaboration, and critical thinking.
Most lessons are accompanied by “living histories” – videos of living recipients’ stories, told in their own words. This real-life component focuses on the character these outstanding Americans have displayed. By exposing students to these true heroes and the challenges they faced, principles that once seemed abstract can now be solidified as truth.
Each lesson contains all necessary handouts and worksheets, and the entire program is provided at no cost to educators. In addition, free professional development sessions are available across the country.
More than 43 million men and women have served in uniform since the Civil War. The Medal of Honor, the highest citation one can receive for U.S. military service, has been awarded to about 3,500 service members. Now through MOH’s Character Development Program, the values they exemplified can impact another generation. 
Get Involved
▶ Adopt a living MOH recipient to encourage and show gratitude.
▶ Visit a cemetery to honor recipients and other veterans.
▶ Invite a living recipient to a class or school assembly.
▶ Begin now to plan a Memorial Day event.
▶ Contribute to the MOH scholarship fund.
▶ Visit the Museum for the Congressional MOH, Mt. Pleasant, SC.
▶ Learn more at: themedalofhonor.com or 703-469-1861.
