Residents Invited to Ceremony Celebrating Medal of Honor Recipient and Local Hero Neel Kearby on National Medal of Honor Day

By Office of Communications

Posted on March 18, 2024, March 18, 2024

Eighty years after local World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Neel E. Kearby’s final mission, the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation will celebrate his life and legacy on National Medal of Honor Day in partnership with the City of Arlington.

Arlington residents are invited to attend a ceremony, which includes a special announcement paying tribute to Kearby, at 10 a.m. Monday, March 25, 2024, in City Center Plaza at 101 W. Abram Street, located between City Hall and the George W. Hawkes Library.

A graduate of Arlington High School and North Texas Agricultural College (now known as The University of Texas at Arlington), Kearby became one of the most decorated fighter pilots of WWII with a record-setting 22 aerial victories. Kearby earned the Medal of Honor over the skies of New Guinea when, even after completing his assigned mission and with fuel running low, he brought down six enemy aircraft and saved his wingman’s life.

Despite his assignment to administrative duties following his Medal action, Kearby still wanted to be in combat. He flew missions whenever he could, and his victory tally continued to rise. On March 5, 1944, Kearby took off on his final combat mission. While attacking a Japanese formation, his plane was hit by machine-gun fire and crashed. After the war, his remains and the wreckage of his plane were found, and Col. Kearby was buried with full military honors at Hillcrest Cemetery in Dallas in 1949.

Arlington's World War II Memorial, established by the City of Arlington and the Arlington Historical Society in the City Center Plaza, includes a bronze statue honoring this legendary ace. The site also includes a monument that lists the names of 50 Arlington men who lost their lives on battlefields across Europe, North Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands between 1941 and 1945 as well as a monument that outlines the contributions of more than 5,000 students, alumni and faculty members of North Texas Agricultural College who answered the nation’s call to arms during the war. Click here to read more.

About the National Medal of Honor Museum, Monument and Griffin Institute: The National Medal of Honor Museum, Monument and Griffin Institute will inspire individuals by honoring and preserving the history of the highest military decoration awarded for valor in combat.

The Museum, opening in 2025, will serve as a national landmark located in America’s heartland in Arlington, Texas, and provide an unrivaled, interactive visitor experience that commemorates the historical thread of sacrifice, patriotism, and courage that connects members of the United States military service past and present. It is the Museum’s mission to tell the stories of Medal of Honor recipients in a dynamic and interactive setting that will inspire visitors to recognize the potential for the extraordinary that resides in us all.

Through dynamic and far-reaching curriculum and programming, the National Medal of Honor Griffin Institute is bringing to life the core values inherent to the Medal of Honor in classrooms, boardrooms, and communities around the country.

In 2021, The National Medal of Honor Monument Act was signed into law, paving the way for the monument’s placement in Washington, D.C. Soon, Americans and visitors of every nation will have the opportunity to reflect on the values represented by those whose selfless and courageous actions have served to safeguard freedom and democracy the world over.

Click here to watch episodes of MyArlingtonTV's Forged by Honor series that chronicles construction of the National Medal of Honor Museum.