WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation (CMOHF) today announced that Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has committed $2.5 million dollars over 10 years to support the Foundation's education outreach, including expanding the reach of the Medal of Honor Character Development Program.

"This marvelous grant from Lockheed Martin is an investment in the education and character development of America's future leaders," said Thomas L. Wilkerson, CMOHF President and CEO.  "It's also a tribute to the important role the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation plays in perpetuating the legacy of courage, sacrifice and patriotism so clearly represented by Medal of Honor recipients."

The Medal of Honor Character Development Program incorporates the ideals of courage and selfless service into middle and high school curriculum to build character and promote responsible citizenship.  The program currently touches 46 states and the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Europe, the Pacific, and Middle East, eight other countries in South America and Central America, and The Citadel in South Carolina.

"Our support of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation reflects our commitment to promote the principles of the Medal, to honor the recipients, and more generally to support service members and honor their selfless duty to country," said Robert J. Stevens, Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO and member of the CMOHF Board of Directors. "We believe the values that these truest heroes demonstrated are more important than ever to our country and especially to our youth."

Lockheed Martin has supported the Foundation since its inception in 1999. The corporation will also serve as the leading sponsor of the 2013 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Convention in Gettysburg, Pa.

ABOUT THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR FOUNDATION –

The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation was founded by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which consists exclusively of the living Medal of Honor recipients. The Foundation is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit with Tax ID #25-1828488.

The Foundation, in conjunction with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, reaches out to the citizens of America, particularly its youth, to promote an awareness of what the Medal of Honor represents and how ordinary Americans through courage, sacrifice, selfless service and patriotism can challenge fate and change the course of history.

There are no better ambassadors to take this message to the American people than the Medal of Honor recipients themselves who embody these values through their incredible acts of bravery.

The work of the Foundation is aimed at promoting awareness of what America's highest military award for valor in combat represents.

Visit us at www.cmohfoundation.org. To see the Foundation's educational website, go to www.cmohedu.org.

SOURCE Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation