Ceremony honoring Civil War Medal of Honor recipient held today in Christiansburg
Today, a ceremony honoring the Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, Marion Ross, was held in Christiansburg.
The event started at 1:00 p.m. at Veterans Memorial, located at the corner of Main and First Street.
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People gathered in to get the first glimpse of the new monument honoring Ross. It’s made by Christiansburg native Paul Sullenberger.
“I’ve always felt that the fact that the first posthumous medal of honor that was awarded was to someone on a little fly speck on a map of a town like Christiansburg was extremely significant,” Sullenberger said.
The monument is part of a growing space to honor the service men and women in this small Champaign County village.
“Every street, every corner, every building has some kind of memory for me. I carried newspapers here for 10 years. Being able to give back to a town that meant so much to me growing up,” Sullenberger said.
They had different dates they could have held the ceremony, like the anniversary of being awarded the medal of honor. ultimately they picked Memorial Day.
“Which is a day dedicated to everyone who lost their life in service to our nation. It’s important to never lose focus that this is what that day is about. It’s not about all of the veterans, it’s about the ones who did not come home,” Sullenberger said.
Ross was awarded the medal of honor for his actions during a mission in the civil war. Many of his living relatives were on hand to unveil the memorial.
“The turnout today and the response and having his relatives here is even more overwhelming because it shows how much people care. They recognize what was done and even thought it was 160 years ago,” Sullenberger said.
The monument is in place so that future generations can honor Ross and others who lost their lives serving our country.
