Medal of Honor Valor Trail App
Overview
Engaged to build an app that would help visitors explore Medal of Honor recipients through a map-based experience, as well as elevate their incredible stories, Interactive Knowledge combined storytelling and map navigation to create an immersive experience.
About this project
Interactive Knowledge partnered with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and American Battlefield Trust to create an interactive, location-based app experience that tells the extraordinary stories of Medal of Honor recipients: the Medal of Honor Valor TrailTM App. The app provides access to a global network of sites tied to Medal of Honor recipient lives and legacies.
The project goals
Stories and locations build an emotional connection to history for any visitor, but not all visitors are lucky enough to travel to on-site locations like Iwo Jima or Okinawa. IK, CMOHS, and ABT wanted to create an app that would help visitors to connect with Medal of Honor recipients while virtually visiting locations that are meaningful to them and their stories. For those lucky enough to travel, we wanted the app to be a useful guide for planning a visit, or exploring “Places of Valor" in your own backyard.
The IK approach
Tools for Exploring
The Medal of Honor Valor TrailTM App invites visitors to explore Medal of Honor recipients using search tools, filters, and categories. They can dive into the Valor Trail map which highlights locations associated with Medal of Honor recipients such as their place of birth, enlistment site, places of valor, place of death, cemeteries, monuments, and museums. Using the “Near Me” feature, the app triangulates the user’s location with the Valor Trail map, showing them “Places of Valor” nearby.
Stories about Medal of Honor Recipients
Medal of Honor recipients are and were real people with real lives, and it is their stories that make them truly compelling. “Stories of History & Heroism” curates a journey for visitors, helping them to connect with Medal of Honor recipients through the details of their lives. Using video and images to help tell the story, visitors experience a rich multimedia learning environment that brings Medal of Honor recipients to life. Visitors can use "Follow Their Journey” to see related “Places of Valor” on the Valor Trail map, and save locations using the “favorites” heart icon.
The results
Medal of Honor Valor TrailTM App launched on March 25, 2025 on the Apple App Store and Google Play App Store, releasing a dynamic and immersive visualization of the Medal of Honor’s full story and impact.
“Few Americans can visit remote battlefields like Iwo Jima, but with the Medal of Honor Valor Trail™ App, they can be connected to a vast network of places with tangible and meaningful links to powerful stories,” said Trust President David Duncan. “The app creates a new and compelling way to engage with our nation’s history and make Recipients’ legacies of service and sacrifice more accessible than ever.”
“Each Medal of Honor Recipient was shaped by experiences before they ever put on a uniform, and many who returned home became pillars in their communities and in upholding the values of the Medal,” said Society President Britt Slabinski. “The Medal of Honor Valor Trail™ demonstrates that Recipients’ stories are expansive and tied to meaningful locations in their lives and memories.”
“Our goal was to create an experience that deeply connects users to the personal journeys and powerful legacies of Medal of Honor Recipients,” said Interactive Knowledge President Eric Veal. “By combining thoughtful design with intuitive technology, the app invites exploration and encourages a meaningful appreciation for the extraordinary lives of these American heroes.”
For more information about the Medal of Honor Valor TrailTM App, check out https://www.valortrail.org/.