By Congressional Proclamation, March 25 of each year is officially designated as National Medal of Honor Day. Every year, on this day, the Medal of Honor Recipients visit the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia to recognize the sacrifice of those who have served this country. There, they place a wreath commemorating this service and sacrifice, especially of those who have received the Medal of Honor.

To help students learn about the Medal of Honor, this country’s highest award for valor in combat, the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation (CMOHF) and edWeb.net will present a special webinar with Harold “Hal” A. Fritz, Medal of Honor Recipient, on March 26th. During this webinar, teachers and students can hear directly about the experiences of this American hero and about the legacy of the Medal of Honor, courage, sacrifice, and patriotism.

The webinar, Interview with a Hero: Lessons of Personal Bravery and Self-Sacrifice, is on Wednesday, March 26th at 1pm Eastern Time. Teachers are invited to broadcast this webinar during class time for their students to hear from Medal of Honor Recipient, Hal Fritz, First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Troop A, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and a veteran of the Vietnam War. Mr. Fritz will discuss what the Medal means to him and how it has affected his life. He will reflect on the events held the day prior, to commemorate National Medal of Honor Day and Citizen Honors. Teachers are encouraged to submit a question from their class when they register for the webinar.

One of the major initiatives of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation is the Medal of Honor Character Development Program, a free curriculum supplement for middle and high school students. The program includes more than 50 lesson plans, over 100 video vignettes of the Medal of Honor Recipients themselves, as well as videos of hometown heroes selected by the Medal of Honor Recipients as “Citizen Heroes.”

edWeb.net and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation have created an online professional learning community that helps teachers use this free, valuable and inspiring resource with their students. The community is free and hosts webinars and online discussions on the important concepts of courage, commitment, sacrifice, patriotism, integrity and citizenship. The webinars will provide an opportunity for Medal of Honor Recipients to discuss the importance of character and speak directly with teachers and students on their experiences.

Brian Williams, Anchor and Managing Editor of NBC Nightly News, is a leading advocate for the Medal of Honor Character Development Program. He says, “I wish these [Medal of Honor recipients] were the stars of baseball cards in this country…I wish kids grew up knowing these Recipients’ stats. We’re trying to spread the word about what kind of citizens these are; we’re trying to spread the word that these qualities will help you in many ways. So we had this theory…that you could use these Recipients as a teaching tool.”

Join us for the webinar “Interview with a Hero: Lessons of Personal Bravery and Self-Sacrifice: on Wednesday, March 26th at 1PM Eastern Time. Register here.

If you are an educator, join the free learning community, Lessons on Bravery and Self-Sacrifice: The Medal of Honor Character Development Program, to stay informed about upcoming webinars, join in on discussions with peers and experts, and gain access to valuable resources.

The Medal of Honor Character Development Program is free and available online and on DVD. Learn more at http://cmohfoundation.org/educational-outreach/erie-project.