A busy fall for Chattanooga's Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center
CHATTANOOGA, Tn. — For the people behind The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center this is a busy time of year.
"We turn out world class programs, exhibits, content, you name it," Heritage Center Director of Operations, Steven Thomas said.
Thomas literally works hands-on with pretty much everything around here. He showed us the exhibit on James Graham, a Vietnam era Medal of Honor recipient.
Graham's children were heavily involved in putting all this together.
"Many of the artifacts that are here are personal belongings of his," Thomas said.
There is the telegram the family received notifying them Graham was killed in action. There are also personal photos, his wedding ring, his high school year book and much, much more.
Graham's Medal of Honor is displayed in the case right next to Challenger Commander Dick Scobee's Space Medal of Honor.
Graham's daughter was in the Air Force.
"When she was at the academy, she was actually at the launch of the Challenger and was in attendance and knew Dick Scobee's son, Rich," Thomas told me.
So, she was there the day of the Challenger disaster and now her father's Medal of Honor is sitting right next to Scobee's at the Heritage Center in downtown Chattanooga.
"And hasn't seen or spoken to him since," Thomas said. "So, I can't wait until those two are in the same space, at the same time because I'm hoping I can be there when she brings that up to him."
For more information for all of the Heritage Center's programs you can find all of that information on their website.
