Several Minnesota dignitaries are expected to formally announce that the Twin Cities will host the national Congressional Medal of Honor Convention for five days this fall, starting Oct. 4.
Among those who will reveal more this week about the annual gathering of recipients are Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, U.S. Rep. John Kline and state Veterans Affairs Commissioner Larry Shellito.
Boston native Thomas Kelley, president of the Medal of Honor Society and himself a recipient of the nation's highest military decoration, also will attend.
The announcement late Wednesday morning will be held at the FAIR School's Crystal campus. Kelley, a Vietnam War veteran, is scheduled to speak with students.
According to the society, there have been 3,496 Medal of Honor recipients, with 19 receiving the medal twice. The number of living recipients totals 77.
There are 46 Medal of Honor recipients from Minnesota. Read more about them at www.mohtwincities.com/2016-convention/minnesota-recipients/.
The Medal of Honor Society was chartered in 1958 by Congress, with a mission "to maintain a bond of brotherhood among living recipients, to promote patriotism and the principles on which our nation was founded."
The society also works to maintain the memory of recipients who have died and provide assistance to recipients in need or to their survivors.
