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President Donald Trump signs the Hershel \u201cWoody\u201d Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Site Location Act after speaking at the National Medal of Honor Museum on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Arlington. The act authorizes the location of a monument honoring Medal of Honor recipients in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
Amanda McCoy<\/p>\n
FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump announced Thursday a new monument will be built on the National Mall in Washington. He signed the final legislative step for the location during a ceremony Thursday, Sept. 10, at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington.<\/p>\n
The Hershel \u201cWoody\u201d Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Bill is named after the final survivor World War II Medal of Honor recipient, who died in June 2022. The act unanimously passed the Senate in March. A plot near the Lincoln Memorial for the mall\u2019s addition was initially scouted for the new monument, but Trump said Thursday that a new site will need to be found.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll get you the best site in all of Washington,\u201d the president promised.<\/p>\n
Federal funds will not be used to build the monument. Instead, the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, chaired by Charlotte Jones, will raise the funds required to complete the project. The foundation also funds the Arlington museum that opened in March 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n A brass quartet from the 1st Cavalry Division Band at Fort Hood greeted guests with patriotic tunes as they entered the museum reception Thursday morning.<\/p>\n The curated audience of about 150 included Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and a number of Texas Republican politicians. Sen. Ted Cruz, of Houston, Rep. Roger Williams, of Willow Park, state Rep. Tony Tinderholt, of Arlington, state Sen. Phil King, of Weatherford, and Tarrant County Judge Tim O\u2019Hare, of Southlake, were present.<\/p>\n The crowd waited in Brady Hall for two hours, patiently awaiting the president\u2019s arrival once he concluded a private tour of the museum.<\/p>\n About an hour after the scheduled start time, 15 Medal of Honor recipients walked in to applause. Jones, daughter of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and an executive vice president of the team herself, opened the reception by saying America needs a Medal of Honor monument now more than ever before.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a prime example of unity,\u201d Charlotte Jones said. \u201cIt\u2019s a prime example of impact about courage and sacrifice, and it takes those values to bring all of us together across the aisle, side by side for our country.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump took the stage to Lee Greenwood\u2019s \u201cGod Bless the U.S.A.\u201d and a standing ovation from the crowd. He profusely complimented Jones and the museum. Trump said the \u201clevel of bravery is incredible\u201d of the Medal of Honor recipients.<\/p>\n After the president signed the bill into law, Jones presented him with the foundation\u2019s Champion of Honor Award for his unwavering commitment to preserving and sharing the legacies of recipients and for ensuring recipients of the highest decoration for valor in combat are permanently recognized.<\/p>\n \u201cWith this museum and a new monument in Washington, D.C.,\u201d Trump said. \u201cAmerica will never ever forget what they did and what they risked, and how much they risked, what they\u2019ve meant to their families, and what they\u2019ve meant to our country.\u201d<\/p>\n The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the U.S. About 4,000 have been awarded, and 65 recipients are still alive.<\/p>\n
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