How the American Battlefield Trust is building excitement and restoring civic pride

Good morning, and thank you for joining us. 

Today, we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight a few exciting projects from our friends at the American Battlefield Trust (ABT).

A few months ago, Nexus wrote about several exciting ABT events leading up to the release of the travel documentary — Travels with Darley: North Carolina Revolutionary Road Trip. 

During a legislative breakfast and exclusive documentary premiere, legislators, policymakers, and business leaders alike gathered at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences to meet award-winning host Darley Newman and connect over their shared love of North Carolina history. 

If you haven’t had a chance to watch, this Saturday morning is a perfect opportunity. The 25-minute feature explores North Carolina’s revolutionary past through visits to some of its most iconic sites. Newman also takes viewers to some classic North Carolina eateries, showcasing what makes the state one of the best places to visit in the nation. 

ABT encourages Americans to LEARN more about our nation’s wars, VISIT American battlefields, and PRESERVE historic battle locations that are under threat of development. Under that mission, the organization is working on many exciting initiatives to engage people with the United States’ rich military history. 

In partnership with the Medal of Honor Society (MOHS), ABT is building anticipation for America 250 celebrations next summer through the Medal of Honor Valor Trail. This project highlights the extraordinary stories of America’s most honored heroes. It’s a digital platform that marks the battlefields, hometowns, and burial places of our nation’s over 3,500 Medal of Honor (MOH) recipients on an interactive map. The Valor Trail is also available as a mobile app, enabling users to experience the “Footsteps of Heroes” on the go as they travel to different battle locations. 

Soon, you’ll be able to experience the Valor Trail in a physical format. With the help of NC-based specialized vehicle manufacturer Spevco, ABT and MOHS are developing a mobile Valor Trail exhibit to travel across the country, making stops at some of the nation’s most iconic battlefields, museums, and monuments.

North Carolina features a bevy of locations found on the Valor Trail. Civil War-era forts across the state are home to battles that produced dozens of MOH awardees. NC also features many schools and monuments named after MOH heroes, like Eugene Ashley High School in Wilmington and the Sergeant Ray E. Eubanks Monument in Snow Hill.

Why are projects like this needed? ABT argues that heroes, even though they were in the past, still matter in our society. They exemplify courage, sacrifice, and patriotism, inspiring ordinary people to live with extraordinary character daily. 

Americans, especially young people, are also encountering a value crisis. More and more young adults learn their values and define their character from what they see on social media, replacing traditional models from the home, school, or church. With the Medal of Honor Valor Trail, ABT is offering our youth excellent examples of strong values and character to look up to and shape the types of traits we desire them to build. 

ABT invites citizens like you to join in restoring civic pride as we prepare for the nation’s 250th anniversary, raising historical awareness by highlighting and honoring America’s finest heroes. 

We hope you’ll consider joining them.