Why Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones donated $ 20 million to the National Medal of Honor Museum
Sports Pulse: What the medal of honor means to Jerry Jones
SportsPulse, USA TODAY
DALLAS – Jerry Jones can now hear prime time in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys owner envisions a national broadcast calling attention to the National Museum of the Medal of Honor and the Leadership Institute on the road to AT&T Stadium, honoring the legacy of the medal winners. Jones values this message.
“It says it all when I look at (us) saying, ‘We need to show love for each other, of all kinds of prejudices that we can talk about,'” Jones told USA TODAY Sports. “I never saw anything that hit the nail on the head like recognition of the Medal of Honor winners and what they stood for.”
And so, on the 30th anniversary of the National Medal of Honor Day – and 158 years after the first Medal of Honor was awarded during the Civil War as the largest military prize for combat bravery – Jones is committing $ 20 million to advance of the museum campaign. The funding pushes the museum to $ 70 million as it nears completion of its design phase, with plans to open next spring.
“I am very aware,” said Jones of taking advantage of his NFL platform, “that when we endorse or significantly acknowledge something special about our country, it will be noticed.”
Values, not bravery
The Jones family’s involvement dates back to 2019. The National Medal of Honor Foundation sought to further consolidate the values of an award that recognized 3,507 individuals, 69 of whom are still alive. The search for the museum’s location has been reduced to two cities: Arlington and Denver.
The mayor of Arlington called the Joneses to help secure the offer. Charlotte Jones, executive vice president and brand director for Cowboys, asked herself: does that no longer exist? She told the foundation’s president that if he committed to Arlington at that time, the Cowboys would honor the Medal of Honor winners in the weekend’s Cowboys-Packers game. She said she would get a visit from former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush for the occasion. Millions of fans tuning in to the broadcast would learn about the museum.
“We can (get it) if you agree now,” Charlotte Jones, now chairman of the museum’s board, told the foundation. “I’m not going to call the ex-president if you don’t say we have this.”
They made a deal.
The potential was clear, say the Jones, to convey values that they consider increasingly relevant during times of polarization. The museum will aim to educate visitors about six values: courage, sacrifice, commitment, integrity, citizenship and patriotism. Technologically advanced exhibitions on Medal of Honor recipients will highlight racial and religious diversity among prominent military members, while outlining values and characteristics that transcend any war or battle.
And the museum’s mission will extend far beyond the walls of Arlington. Just as Cowboys games are broadcast to tens of millions of stadiums with a capacity for about 100,000 people, the museum’s leadership institute will expand the stories of Medal of Honor winners on programming across the country.
“This project is really about how to lead character-oriented leadership and strengthen patriotism and really let people understand what [recipients] did, but how they did it, ”Charlotte Jones told USA TODAY Sports. “What were they made of that led them to risk not only their lives, in many cases, but the complete sacrifice they gave to our country?”
Retired Major General Pat Brady, who received the Medal of Honor in 1969 and now serves on the foundation’s board, describes the distinction as an emphasis on values over value. Brady was recognized after he and his crew rescued nearly 100 wounded soldiers on January 6, 1968, in Vietnam.
He said he expects museum visitors to be inspired not only by the way the Medal of Honor winners defended the country, but also how they “designed, enhanced and enriched the nation” before and after the achievements that earned them the medals.
“We are not just talking about physical courage – we are talking about moral courage, intellectual courage,” Brady told USA TODAY Sports. “Physical courage … can win a battle or a ball game.
“But moral courage can change the world.”
‘What we all hope to be’
The National Museum of the Medal of Honor is not scheduled to open until 2024, but already has the support of several former US presidents who are honorary directors: President Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton and President Jimmy Carter. His national advisory and leadership includes former directors of the CIA and NSA, as well as former secretaries of defense.
“Those who choose to serve our country are all: they are black, they are white, they come from different backgrounds, they are immigrants, they are born here,” said Charlotte Jones. “They are the largest collection of who our country is and those who truly believe in America’s ideals. They are the ones who commit their lives to protect this and defend democracy. “
This diversity, the Jones hope, will be reflected in the audience that the museum inspires. They have seen fans from all backgrounds gather at the Cowboys stadium, 2 miles east. Why not at the museum?
“Everyone inside that stadium (comes from) different cultures, different ages, religions, backgrounds,” said Charlotte Jones. “But on that day, they are the same, and they all come together and celebrate and take root together and become one.
“Well, that’s the same thing, just rooted in what we all hope to be.”
The sacrifice includes more than the online life situations that Medal of Honor recipients face. “Let’s all contribute,” said Jerry Jones, “and love each other and do it for each other.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.