How did Mike Hayes help build the Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas?

Mike Hayes said that around 2018 Dave McCormick asked him to advise a friend planning a modest Medal of Honor project in South Carolina. Hayes sketched a national museum built around recipients' values and agreed to join only if he could replace the existing board. He became the founding board member and recruited Matt Zames, Alan Schwartz, Frank D'Souza, Jared Weinstein and Britt Slabinski. The group chose Arlington, Texas, over bids including Denver, raised $320 million against a $250 million target, and opened in 2025.

• Charlotte Jones of the Dallas Cowboys chairs the board, and astronaut Chris Cassidy, Hayes's BUD/S swim buddy, served as chief executive through the build.
• Hayes says USA Today named it the top museum, and an eighth-grade curriculum on recipients now runs in Texas classrooms.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Shawn Ryan Show (2026-10-22). Read the whole episode summary →

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