The Medal of Honor is not simply earned – it is bestowed upon those whose courage transcends the instinct for self-preservation. It represents the truest measure of valor, and those who wear it do so on behalf of every American who has ever answered the call to serve. They are not winners – they are recipients, and their sacrifice is sacred.
On National Medal of Honor Day, the new Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, officially opened to the public. The entire opening weekend was designed to do two things simultaneously: honor the recipients, and ensure that Americans can learn what service and sacrifice are about. The result was a museum launch that combined ceremony, spectacle, and exceptional craftsmanship – most notably in the two unique glass elevators that anchor the building’s core.
Architecturally, the museum’s main exhibition area appears to float above the ground, supported by five columns representing the five branches of the U.S. military. This design creates sightlines surrounding a space in the center, which houses a pair of glass elevators that are visible from almost every angle. In a building meant to elevate stories, this unique elevator system is an exhibit in movement and meaning, transporting visitors into the galleries.
“When you think about a building and what goes into it, especially one like this, you know it’s going to be spectacular, you know it’s going to be extraordinary, and for those people to trust our IUEC members to put the elevators in here is just phenomenal,” said International Union of Elevator Constructors Veterans Assistance Program (IUEC VAP) National Chairman Jason Gray.
The elevator was engineered, designed, and built by IUEC signatory company TK Elevator (TKE). Mechanic in Charge Mike Holcomb and his apprentice, Alex Trasante, who installed the custom-designed elevator system, called it the most unique project of their careers. The exhibition level hangs about 40 feet above ground, offering a 360-degree view, which meant everything had to be perfect the first time: structure, tolerances, ride quality, aesthetics, building code compliance, and safety.
TK Elevator’s field installation and service workforce are members of the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) Local 21 in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. The IUEC’s national agreements with signatory elevator companies like TK Elevator guarantee a trained, safety-first team that can handle complex projects like this, on strict deadlines that leave no room for error. If museum guests felt a smooth boarding on opening weekend, it’s because an IUEC crew put in the hours, followed the book, and nailed the hand-off. That’s not hype; that’s how the work gets done.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, 32 Medal of Honor recipients, along with civic, military, and cultural leaders, stood shoulder to shoulder. Former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush were present. Texas Governor Greg Abbott attended, along with U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. NBC’s Savannah Guthrie helped host the celebration, Lee Greenwood performed “God Bless the USA,” actor Gary Sinise paid tribute as a long-time Veterans’ advocate, and Dallas Cowboys stars, including Dak Prescott, joined in. Leadership from the IUEC VAP, representatives from IUEC Locals 21 (Dallas-Fort Worth) and 31 (Houston), and the ElevatorInfo media team also attended the event.
The weekend’s program strongly reflected the museum’s mission: celebrating courage, teaching values, and connecting them to the next generation. The city of Arlington promoted the public festivities as the “Mission to Inspire” celebration – a mix of concerts, drone shows, and community gatherings that spotlighted the recipients and reminded everyone who the building is for. If this place is going to earn repeat visits from locals and become part of travel itineraries, it will be because the experience is immersive without feeling slick, and respectful without being stiff. The opening achieved that balance.
For the Elevator Industry Work Preservation Fund (EIWPF), the museum’s most visible mechanical system also served as a storytelling bridge. EIWPF’s media team was one of the few invited inside to film the grand opening from the museum floor. That access was valuable for another reason: it enabled an interview with Medal of Honor recipient Sammy Lee Davis, “the real-life Forrest Gump,” inside the space built to honor him and his peers. Davis’s presence reinforced the Museum’s core idea: these stories aren’t abstract; they’re carried by real Americans who stepped up, did the impossible, and kept moving forward.
In most museums, vertical transportation is just a functional element, a box hidden behind walls to move visitors from point A to point B. Here, the car’s glass walls and central position intentionally encourage visitors to shift perspective as they ascend. Everyone – families, Veterans, students, recipients – shares the same carriage, looking into the same space. Architects and builders treated vertical transportation here as an experience, and TK Elevator and the elevator constructor mechanics and apprentices of the IUEC Local 21 crew made that vision real.
Consider the challenges in an installation like this: a floating exhibition block, transparent shaft lines, acoustic and vibration controls to protect artifacts and audio-visuals, and a ride that must be smooth with no margin for error. You need precise placement, disciplined coordination of the hoistway, and a team capable of translating one-of-a-kind shop drawings into a ride that looks and feels perfect. “Union-built” on this project meant trained professionals with enough experience and standards to deliver under pressure.
Standing at the opening of the Medal of Honor Museum, you realize that courage and craft are not separate stories. Veterans who join the elevator trade carry both with them – service to country and service to community. The elevators built in this museum are more than machinery; they are a daily reminder that Veterans continue to lift this nation in ways both symbolic and concrete.
This wasn’t just another ribbon-cutting for union leaders – it was a moment for Veteran elevator constructors and their families to take part in ceremonies that honored their community. It proved that the skilled trades are not on the sidelines of American civic life – they build the spaces where history is remembered and lessons are taught.
For EIWPF’s media team, filming the opening weekend was both a privilege and a duty. Capturing the elevators and the galleries surrounding them on video revealed a spatial design that photos can’t. Viewers see the five supporting pillars outside, the hovering mass, and then ride with a Medal of Honor recipient’s family or a JROTC group to the story floor. Paired with the interview with Sammy Lee Davis, that footage encapsulates a core message of courage, craft, and continuity.
If there’s a takeaway, it’s this: the National Medal of Honor Museum doesn’t just talk about lifting up American heroes; it shows you what it looks like through a transparent elevator built by union hands, designed to be seen, not hidden.
Credit where it’s due: Arlington staged a celebration that blended pageantry with purpose; the museum’s leadership, donors, and partners provided the institutional strength; and the recipients gave the soul. But it was the builders – TK Elevator and the IUEC mechanics and apprentices they rely on to do top-quality work – who made it all possible.