WASHINGTON — Last night, the Senate unanimously passed the Mark Our Place Act—bipartisan legislation introduced by Sen. Mike Braun, Sen. Jon Tester, and Sen. Sherrod Brown to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to honor all Medal of Honor recipients with a headstone, grave marker, or medallion.
Currently, these memorial honors are only available to Medal of Honor recipients who served after 1917.
“Our Medal of Honor recipients are the best America has to offer,” said Senator Mike Braun. “I was proud to introduce this bill to memorialize the valor of all Medal of Honor recipients, and I’m so proud to see it pass the U.S. Senate on its way to become law.”
“Our brave Medal of Honor recipients deserve a final resting place that honors their incredible service and sacrifices—no matter when they served,” said Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “Our commonsense bill will ensure we’re preserving these heroes legacies by rightfully memorializing all Medal of Honor recipients, and I urge my colleagues in the House to quickly take action on this legislation.”—
“Yesterday we moved one step closer to ensuring that all Medal of Honor recipients have their legacy preserved and their memories honored,” said Senator Sherrod Brown. “We will never forget the debt we owe our veterans, and we’re humbled by their commitment to service.”
“I’d like to thank everybody involved in the Mark Our Place Act,” said Sergeant First Class Sammy Davis, Medal of Honor recipient 1968. “This is a great bill to recognize the recipients of America’s highest medal for valor, the Medal of Honor, and I fully support it.”
This bill now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.
Bill text here
