On Veterans Day, the Medal of Honor reminds us of our shared values and common purpose

*First Published in the Sun Sentinel on November 9, 2023*

The headlines are stark. War in Israel and Ukraine. Chaos in Congress. With conflict and division brewing at home and abroad, one thing seems clear: Our sense of unity as fellow Americans is fraying. That is, unless you know where to look.

Over the storied history of our country, generations of Americans have found a way to come together to confront the challenges of our time by focusing on the shared human values that unite us: courage and sacrifice, commitment and integrity, citizenship and patriotism.

As an Army veteran, they are values I know well. They have guided the 40 million Americans who have sworn to protect and serve our nation. And they are embodied by the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest award for valor in combat. With recipients from every branch of the military, and hundreds of them foreign born, the Medal of Honor has been awarded in every war and conflict since its creation over 160 years ago by President Abraham Lincoln. The ideals it represents — and the recipients who earned it — are a reminder of our common purpose as a nation and of what can be accomplished when individuals look beyond themselves.

The power of these principles to unite is on display at this very moment, as work continues to create the National Medal of Honor Museum — a place where Americans from all walks of life will be able to learn about these values and be inspired to apply them in their day-to-day lives. It will teach that courage is not contained to the battlefield, that bravery has no bounds, that having a sense of duty is not demarcated by a uniform.

This museum, which opens in Arlington, Texas in early 2025, is proof that there are things upon which we can all agree — beyond geography, beyond economic status, beyond partisanship. Four living former presidents, both Republicans and Democrats, are honorary directors for the museum. It’s a project made possible by the generosity of supporters from all 50 states, including right here in Florida.

In fact, this week, as we mark Veterans Day, the museum foundation is announcing a $30 million gift from South Florida-businessman and philanthropist Kenneth C. Griffin, who has a long track record of philanthropic giving focused on finding solutions to the world’s biggest problems. And I can’t think of a bigger problem right here in America than the polarization and fractionalization that is quickly becoming an existential threat to our uniquely American story.

In recognition of Griffin’s commitment to sharing the stories and values of the Medal of Honor, the museum’s leadership institute will be named the National Medal of Honor Griffin Institute. The institute will cultivate leaders who can act with the principles of Medal of Honor recipients and the values of the medal itself, giving them the tools they need to tackle the most pressing challenges of our time.

Progress on the museum, and the naming of the institute, comes as action in Washington, D.C., provides yet another example of the power of these values to unite. In 2021, both chambers of Congress — Republicans and Democrats — voted unanimously to approve the creation of a National Medal of Honor Monument. And right now, the House and Senate are considering a bill to locate that monument on the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial, a fitting tribute to the president who kept our country together during its darkest time and who awarded the first medals to those on the front lines of that fight.

It was in a past winter amid the Civil War that Lincoln recognized that every citizen had a role to play in holding the Union together, writing: “Honor to the Soldier and Sailor everywhere who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field, and serves, as best he can, the same cause … ”

If our great American experiment is to endure, we must find a way to come together, to rise above partisan politics and be reminded of our shared values and common purpose. The values of the Medal of Honor show us the way. It’s up to all of us — together — to follow the path.

Emilio T. Gonzalez is a partner and senior advisor to the executive committee at Ducenta Squared Asset Management. Prior to this, he served as city manager of Miami and as director and CEO of Miami International Airport. Gonzalez was Undersecretary of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service within the Department of Homeland Security and director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration. A retired Army Intelligence officer, Gonzalez is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an advisory board member for the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation.