In 2009, the House passed HF433/SF236, which designated March 25 as Medal of Honor Day. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Obermueller (DFL-Eagan) and Sen. Jim Carlson (DFL-Eagan), the bill honors Minnesotans who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor, which was first presented on that date in 1863. The bill passed unanimously in the House and Senate. It was signed into law by the Governor that year.

March 25 is designated Medal of Honor Day in honor of the individuals from Minnesota who have served in the military or naval forces of the United States and have received the Congressional Medal of Honor, which was first presented on March 25, 1863. Each year, the governor shall issue a proclamation honoring this observance.

The 2017 proclamation reads:

WHEREAS: The United States Congress has designated March 25ch each year as National Medal of Honor Day, the day the first Medal of Honor was presented in 1862; and

WHEREAS: Since the Civil War, brave men and women from the State of Minnesota have answered the call to defend and protect the freedoms we hold dear and several have gone beyond this call to duty, risking injury and loss of life to distinguish themselves as heroes; and

WHEREAS: The Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military award for valor in action against an enemy force, has been awarded to more than 3,400 service members, and 55 of these heroes are associated with the State of Minnesota; and

WHEREAS: This distinguished group includes Capt. Charles Lindbergh for display of courage during his 1927 nonstop flight from New York to Paris in the Spirit of St. Louis, Capt. Richard Fleming for extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Battle of Midway in 1942, Michael Colalillo for bravery during World War II, and Leo Thorsness for heroism and self~sacrifice during the Vietnam War; and

WHEREAS: The people of the State of Minnesota are forever grateful for the brave service members who have received this prestigious honor and to all service members who have served and continue to serve.

WHEREAS: The people of the State of Minnesota are forever grateful for the brave service members who have received this prestigious honor and to all service members who have served and continue to serve.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, MARK DAYTON, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim Friday, March 25, 2017, as: MINNESOTA MEDAL OF HONOR DAY in the state of Minnesota.