Family of Local War Hero Donates Medal of Honor to Monroe Middle School

On Friday, May 27, Monroe Middle School will host a Medal of Honor Dedication Ceremony to honor their namesake, James Howard Monroe and the receipt of his Medal of Honor. 

This past winter, Michelle Gattas, the niece of James Howard Monroe, donated Jimmy’s Medal of Honor and corresponding certificate to the school. For the past few months, the school has been working with local groups to secure funding and construction to build a “Wall of Honor” in the school. On May 27, the school will formally honor James Howard Monroe and his family's gift.

James Howard Monroe, also known as “Jimmy,” was a Wheaton resident who graduated from Wheaton Central High School in 1962. While studying political science at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, Jimmy was drafted into the United States Army in the Summer of 1966 and served as a Private First Class Medic during the Vietnam War.

On the evening of February 16, 1967 in South Vietnam, Monroe’s platoon came under heavy artillery and grenade fire during a night ambush. Ignoring the enemy, Monroe began to treat wounded men, specifically a radio operator and his platoon sergeant when he noticed a live grenade fall directly in their foxhole. Monroe warned those nearby of the grenades and then pushed his sergeant and radio operator to one side, lunging forward to smother the grenade’s blast with his body. This act of bravery and selflessness earned Monroe the Medal of Honor that was presented to his family in October 1968.

According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website, Jimmy was given this honor “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.” To further honor his bravery and memory, Community Unit School District 200 named after James Howard Monroe in 1969.

The Dedication Ceremony program will include remarks by the family of James Howard Monroe and Congressman Peter Roskam; a musical selection by the Monroe Middle School Band; and a tribute from the Illinois Patriot Guard.

The ceremony will take place on the football field at Monroe Middle School and will begin at 10:30 a.m. A reception will follow at 11:30 a.m.