Hosted by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation
Sponsored by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation

WATCH THE WEBINAR RECORDING

Within 24 hours after the live event, a CE certificate is emailed to live attendees who logged in online with their email address. To get your CE certificate for logging in live by phone, or for watching the recording, join the Lessons of Personal Bravery and Self-Sacrifice community and go to the Webinar Archives folder to take the CE quiz. As a member of the community, you’ll also have access to additional resources and online discussions.

Watch with your elementary students!

Medal of Honor Recipient Chuck Hagemeister told his personal story during this special webinar presented by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation (CMOHF). We encourage teachers and their elementary classes to watch Mr. Hagemeister recount his experiences growing up and his actions leading to the Medal of Honor. We also introduced two brand new elementary lessons educators will be able to use immediately with their classes.

Early in the afternoon of Mar. 20, 1967, Specialist 4th Class Hagemeister’s platoon was ordered on a rescue mission for an Army company operating in Binh Dinh Province. The company’s officers had been killed or wounded and the force was in danger of being overrun. Hagemeister’s platoon were moving through the graveyard of a small village when they were ambushed on three sides. Within minutes, he was treating wounded soldiers under heavy fire, issuing orders to brand-new recruits, and assuming command for his mortally wounded platoon leader. For the rest of the day Hagemeister moved from one position to another, treating and encouraging his comrades, coming under sniper fire, destroying enemy weapons, killing enemy soldiers, and moving his wounded men to safety. A little more than a year later, Hagemeister was back in the United States, a few days from being discharged from the Army, when he was told that he was to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

During this webinar, Mr. Hagemeister discussed what the Medal of Honor means to him and how it has affected his life, adding his unique perspective on the values celebrated by the CMOHF Character Development Program.

Charles Hagemeister was born the youngest of four siblings in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1946. His father had lumberyards all over Nebraska, but died when Hagemeister was only three years old. His mother then became what he calls “the best role model,” teaching him the values of honesty and hard work. After graduating high school, Hagemeister attended college for one semester before choosing to skip a semester, during which he was drafted.

Hagemeister was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon Johnson during a White House ceremony on May 14, 1968. Read Mr. Hagemeister’s full citation here. Hagemeister then reenlisted and later became a commissioned officer. He stayed in the Army until 1990, when he retired as a lieutenant colonel.

Charles Hagemeister followed his military service by working as a defense contractor, conducting large-unit computer training simulations, in which he simulated capabilities a future enemy might present to Americans in battle.

Cathy Ehlers-Metcalf joined the Medal of Honor Character Development Program as Vice President of Education in 2015.

WATCH THE WEBINAR RECORDING

The Medal of Honor Character Development Program is a free resource that teaches character through stories of the Medal of Honor recipients. The CDP is a cross-curriculum supplement and complies with National/State Common Core standards. The Medal of Honor Character Development Program incorporates the ideals of courage and selfless service into the middle and high school curriculum to build character and promote responsible citizenship.  The program is FREE and includes 50+ lesson plans supported by 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.”