Trump signs act clearing the way for Medal of Honor monument on National Mall

By Fox News · Fox News

President Donald Trump signed legislation Thursday authorizing the future National Medal of Honor Monument to be located within the Reserve of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., near the Lincoln Memorial, during a ceremony honoring Medal of Honor recipients in Arlington, Texas. Trump signed the Hershel "Woody" Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act at the National Medal of Honor Museum after touring the museum and meeting more than a dozen recipients. The legislation does not create the monument itself, which Congress previously authorized in 2021. Instead, it allows the future monument to be located within the Reserve, a protected area of the National Mall that includes some of Washington's most prominent monuments and memorials. EXCLUSIVE: NEW AMERICA 250 MONUMENT LETS FAMILIES FIND MILITARY RELATIVES IN SECONDS: 'I HAD TEARS IN MY EYES' Trump greeted and shook hands with recipients before taking the stage for the signing ceremony. "We're privileged to have with us 15 of the 65 living recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor," Trump told the audience. "When I see the recipients of the Congressional Medal, those that are living, many are dead. They died. And they died in battle. Some of the battles are … I read inscriptions of what took place. That level of bravery is incredible," Trump said. The act is named for Williams, a Marine who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima and was the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient when he died in 2022. HEGSETH UPGRADES ABBEY GATE MARINES' VALOR AWARDS AFTER 5-YEAR DELAY: 'THOSE DAYS ARE OVER' Trump recounted Williams' heroism before recognizing members of his family who attended the ceremony. "In the Battle of Iwo Jima, he carved a path to American victory, literally carved a path so soldiers could get in and win through a deadly gantlet of enemy strongholds," Trump said. "And back and forth, he went. He just kept going back and forth," Trump cont…