Medal of Honor Breakfast

Over 40 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients were in Pueblo, Colorado during the week of September 11th, for the 2017 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Convention. One of the events, that the recipients attended, was a special breakfast held at the Robert Hoag Rawlings Public Library with 2016 & 2017 Home of Heroes Essay contest winners. 

Out of the hundreds of entries, Grant and Collin Velbis, students at Daystar Christian School were winners of this contest and could sit at the table and have breakfast with retired, 1st Lieutenant James Taylor. They were also able to shake hands and meet many of the other recipients. 

Grant, who is now a sophomore at Campion Academy, said, “Getting to meet a Medal of Honor recipient, in real life, was definitely an amazing experience! They are the nicest, most humble guys you'll ever meet, and they have a great sense of humor too. I think my favorite part, was when one of the recipients actually let me hold his medal! I was in awe, and didn't even know what to say. All I can say now, though, is thank you, to the brave men and women who fight for our country every day.”

When asked what his best advice for young people was, Mr. Taylor, who served in Vietnam, answered that never giving up, having a team mentality, pushing yourself, and learning from mistakes would help any person be successful. He also said to listen to your teachers and parents because they had a lot of wisdom to help you get where you needed to go in life.

“Having the opportunity to meet these men who were so selfless and brave was a blessing. I was humbled at their stories,” said Collin. “I was so honored to have these moments with men that have served our country and gone beyond the call of duty.”