HCR 221

R-268  Page 1 of 1
2026
No. R-268. House concurrent resolution recognizing March 25, 2026, as National
Medal of Honor Day in Vermont.
                                        (H.C.R.221)
   Offered by All Members of the House
   Whereas, in 1861, President Abraham Lincoln signed Public Resolution 82, the
original Medal of Honor legislation, and
    Whereas, the first recipients of the Medal of Honor were soldiers, known collectively
as Andrews’ Raiders, who led a daunting mission to cross Confederate lines to steal a
train (popularly known as the “Great Locomotive Chase”), and six of those soldiers were
honored on March 25, 1863, and
   Whereas, 64 Medals of Honor have been issued to recipients identified as Vermonters,
having been either born or enlisted in the State, including the Civil War (57), the 19th-
century American Indian Wars (1), the Philippines Campaign (1), interim periods (2), and
World War II (3), and
   Whereas, a unique recipient was William “Willie” Johnston, an 11-year-old resident of
the Northeast Kingdom community of Salem, now Derby, who, begging to accompany
his father to his 1861 military enlistment, was accepted as a drummer in the 3rd Vermont
Volunteer Infantry Regiment, D Company, and
   Whereas, on September 16, 1863, when Willie Johnston was only 13 years of age,
U.S. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton bestowed on him this great honor, in recognition of
his valor and perseverance during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, as the sole drummer in
his division to retain his instrument through the harrowing ordeal of a forced march from
Richmond after the Union troops’ failure to secure the Confederate Capital, and as of
2026, he remains the youngest Medal of Honor recipient, and
    Whereas, of the eight submariner recipients, two were credited to Vermont; the first
was Torpedoman Henry Breault (1923 in the Panama Canal Zone), the only enlisted and
first submariner to be so honored; the second honoree was Commander Lawson Paterson
“Red” Ramage, in recognition for World War II bravery, and
   Whereas, in accordance with Pub. L. No. 101-564 (1990), March 25, which was the
date the first medals were issued in 1863, has been observed as National Medal of Honor
Day, now therefore be it
   Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
  That the General Assembly recognizes March 25, 2026, as National Medal of Honor
Day in Vermont, and be it further
   Resolved: That the Secretary of State is directed to send a copy of this resolution to
the Green Mountain Submarine Veterans and Mr. Robert Burke, director of the Vermont
Office of Veterans Affairs and president of the Vermont National Guard Library and
Museum.
                                                                           VT LEG #388376 v.1