Written by Maleah Holder

As the most recent recipient of the Medal of Honor, Captain Larry Taylor sheds light on a long born legacy of honored recipients in Chattanooga who are remembered in the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.

Chattanooga is the birthplace of the Medal of Honor and the location of the first Medal awarded in our nation’s history. As of Sept. 5, Chattanooga has seen seven local recipients whose names are now branded on highways and parks throughout the city such as Charles Coolidge, Paul Huff, and Desmond Doss. The military awarded numerous other medals to those who operated in or around the city including Dr. Mary Walker, the first and only female recipient, and the first Medal in our nation presented to Private Jacob Parrott who took part in the “Great Locomotive Chase” which ended just outside the city. 

Of these recipients from Chattanooga several became involved in veterans’ affairs, education on military values, and social work, Captain Taylor being one of them. As such, education is one of the core ways the center contributes to the community.

Due to the rich history of the Medal of Honor in the city, many national and local recipients are being honored to this day in the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center. Since its opening in 1987, the non-profit organization served as a source of education and field trips for K-12 students. It has moved locations six times in the nearly forty years it has been open, with its most recent grand opening being in February of 2020 before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Center now resides next to the Tennessee Aquarium in downtown Chattanooga.

Director Steven Thomas of the Heritage Center reports that despite the numerous location changes from Northgate Mall in Hixson all the way to the aquarium plaza downtown, they have been able to maintain much of their foot traffic by guiding tours for students through the center. The center itself is the largest it has ever been, with over nineteen thousand square feet of space housing numerous exhibits that feature recipients from or based in Tennessee. 

 In a post-parade interview Director Steven Thomas reflected, “The vision for the center as it stands now started in 2016…and thus landed us here next to the aquarium right here in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We are right in the middle of everything.” 

The center seeks its claim to fame in the education of not only students, but their families and surrounding community members. The center hosts several education programs such as the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Character Development Program for students in middle and high school. 

This program, among others, teaches the core values upheld by recipients. These values are quoted throughout the walls of the gallery reading, “patriotism, citizenship, integrity, courage, sacrifice, and commitment.”

Other programs the center hosts include a book club and history club free to local students passionate about history in cooperation with the Astre Foundation which supports charitable nonprofits. 

By working hand-in-hand with schools and attaining grants to remain afloat during the uncertainty of COVID-19, Thomas and the other members of staff have shared their passions with an increasing number of tourists every year since. They bring the stories of these recipients’ valor to life and ensure the living legacy of the birthplace of the Medal of Honor endures and inspires a new generation of future leaders and military enlistees. 

Those who run the center share a passion for history and storytelling as advocated by Steven Thomas, “This place is living; it is. From our volunteers to all the staff members…you come in here and you can feel it. Being in here, you have the weight of the stories on you all the time.”

Captain Larry Taylor’s recent recognition encourages not only Chattanooga, but all of our proud nation to remember those who make up our honored heritage. The newest exhibit at the center will feature him and encourage those who tour there to learn his incredible story.

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Back in the Cobra 50 Years Later

Written by Olivia Smith

Welcomed home from Washington D.C. on Sept. 11, 2023, Chattanooga honored Medal of Honor recipient Larry L. Taylor with a parade through downtown Chattanooga, ending at the Chattanooga National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.

Planning to honor Taylor’s heroism, Steven Thomas, the Director of Operations at the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center said prepare to build an exhibit of an original Cobra AH-1G helicopter–including a life-like sculpture of Taylor, his co-pilot, and the four men hanging on to the helicopter for life.

“Thankfully, we will be receiving many original artifacts from Larry Taylor himself with some supplemental artifacts coming from other local Chattanoogans as well as Dave Hill, who was one of the surviving members of the four-man team Larry saved,” Thomas said. 

According to the heritage center the exhibit is estimated to cost 1.5 million dollars and will include authentic replicas of army uniforms from the Vietnam War and a case exhibiting original artifacts from Taylor’s time serving.

“We will be setting up a donation box in our facility for guests to “do their bit” in helping us

raise the money,” Thomas said. 

The heritage center hopes to open Taylor’s exhibit by Vietnam Veterans Day on March 29, 2024, offering free admission to Vietnam veterans.

“The exhibit will have a formal opening with an unveiling, but we are planning a full week of events starting on March 25, 2024, and culminating with the unveiling on March 29, 2024,” Thomas added. 

Digging deeper into Taylor’s story, the heritage center is excited to work on this new exhibit, honoring the local hero.

“We have the written accounts and some interviews with Larry Taylor that will give us his perspective, but the interesting accounts are going to come from the men he saved,” Thomas said. “Those men are going to have details that Larry missed in the moment and that’s the level of authenticity we want in our storytelling.” 

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