First ever Charleston area Medal of Honor celebration at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – The first ever Charleston area Medal of Honor celebration will happen Thursday at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina Pavilion.

Major General James E. Livingston, USMC (Ret), one of the 69 living recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor will serve as the keynote speaker for the celebration on March 25th.

The event will take place at the marina at 3:25 p.m. and is free to the public.

Major General Livingston was awarded his Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon after his heroic actions the then captain had undertaken in the Battle of Dai Do.

March 25th of each year was designated by the U.S. Congress as National Medal of Honor Day because the first Medal of Honor was awarded on March 25, 1863.

“I would like to greet the springtime in the Charleston community with a new event that we can build for our young people, year by year. We moved the time to 3:25 as a symbol of the date, and to attract school age children to come to the event. It is so important in our nation that we understand the price paid for American freedoms by so many in uniform. This is a way to encourage patriotism and selflessness,” the general stated. “I am proud to be a part of the event and look for it to become part of the annual calendar for our great citizens, our military veterans and our schoolchildren.”

Thirty eight recipients associated with South Carolina will be recognized and there will be a large poster with citation for each recipient.