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The Boston Herald
September 12, 2001


Medal of Honor Event Postponed

By Tom Farmer

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society postponed its annual convention, which was scheduled to start in Boston today because of yesterday's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Out of respect for the Americans who lost their lives in the attacks and with concerns that the medal recipients would not be able to fly into Logan International Airport, organizers yesterday decided to reschedule the event.

"Although they've had to postpone it, it's still something that will happen in Boston," said Tom Lyons, one of the event's organizers and the director of the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans.

"Out of respect to the families and the victims, it's the right thing to do."

More than 100 of the nation's 150 living Medal of Honor recipients were scheduled to attend the event that was scheduled to run today through Sunday.

Even if the recipients were able to make it to Boston today or tomorrow, events such as Friday's cruise aboard the USS Constitution and military flyover would likely have been canceled with the U.S. Armed Forces placed on high alert after the terrorist attacks.

"We're going to try and do it as soon as we can," said Lyons, who said the new convention date would be late October at the earliest.

"One of the older recipients said, 'Damn them, they're not going to ruin our convention.  We're coming anyway.' I'm sure that's the attitude all of them," he said.

Lyons, a Marine Corps combat veteran of Vietnam, was speaking on a cellular telephone from his native South Boston yesterday as he watched Air Force fighter planes fly protective cover above the city.

"Standing here as a young kid who grew up in South Boston, to see warplanes flying over Boston is an incredible thing." he said.