Boston Hosts National Medal of Honor Day Ceremony Ahead of Unprecedented Fourth Convention

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston held a National Medal of Honor Day ceremony at Medal of Honor Park in South Boston, gathering Governor Charlie Baker, newly sworn-in Mayor Kim Janey, and Congressman Stephen Lynch alongside Medal of Honor recipient Captain Thomas Kelly, U.S. Navy (Ret.), to honor the nation's highest military decoration. Tom Lyons, chairman of the Boston Medal of Honor Host Committee, announced the Congressional Medal of Honor Society will return to Boston for a fourth consecutive convention, September 7 through 11, calling it an unprecedented distinction. Kelly noted that Massachusetts has produced 265 recipients — more than any other state — beginning with Sergeant William Carney of New Bedford, the first African American recipient, decorated for his actions at Fort Wagner on July 16, 1863. Mayor Janey, speaking at one of her first public appearances since taking the oath of office the day prior, said she used her grandfather's World War II-era Bible for the swearing-in. Lynch disclosed that he recently delivered $434 million in federal funding to the city, shared credit across the delegation, and said the Society's return reflects "the warm embrace of the South Boston community."