May 29: Installation Ceremony & Reception Honoring Major Henry A. Courtney, Jr.

Installation Ceremony & Public Reception

Honoring Medal of Honor Recipient

Major Henry A. Courtney, Jr., United States Marine Corps Reserve

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

2:00 P.M. – 3:30 P.M.

Great Hall of the Depot: Program & Reception

Veterans Memorial Hall: Installation

Veterans Memorial Hall, a program of the St. Louis County Historical Society, announces the homecoming of the Medal of Honor awarded, posthumously, on December 30, 1947, to Duluthian Henry A. Courtney, Jr. Major Courtney’s Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest honor for gallantry above and beyond the call of duty, will be ceremoniously installed on Wednesday, May 29th at 2:00 PM with a program starting in the Great Hall of the Depot , followed by installation in the Veterans Memorial Hall Gallery, and ending with a free public reception. Space is limited and guests are encouraged to call 218.733.7586 to reserve program seating. Standing room is available.

Duluthian Henry Alexius Courtney, Jr. courageously gave his life in the service of his country on May 15, 1945, on Sugar Loaf Hill during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II. His remains were later brought home and he is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Duluth. Members of the Courtney family will install the Medal, on loan from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in the Veterans Memorial Hall Gallery.

Military historian Alan M. Anderson, PhD will address the significance of the date May 29 to Major Courtney’s family and in the context of his remarkable story.

In addition, a dinner program event is scheduled for Friday, November 15, 2019 in the Depot Great Hall. Retired Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Richard I. Neal, will be the keynote speaker. The event honors Major Courtney and all Medal of Honor recipients from Northeastern Minnesota. Attendance is by reservation only. Proceeds benefit the Veterans Memorial Hall Program Medal of Honor Row Exhibit.

For more information on either event contact the St. Louis County Historical Society at 218.733.7581.

Veterans Memorial Hall was established in 1910 and is a joint program of the St. Louis County Historical Society and the military service veterans of northeastern Minnesota with a mission to gather, preserve, interpret, and promote the rich and diverse human experiences of veterans, their families and communities, through museum, archival and educational programs. Its website, www.vets-hall.org, features more than 7,000 veteran stories.