The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a decoration bestowed by the President of the United States The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is one of only two nationally elected federal officers, the other being the Vice President of the United States and is – along with the equivalent Congressional Gold Medal A Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress and is, along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. The decoration is awarded to an individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C – the highest civilian award in the U.S. ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language It recognizes those individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." The award is not limited to U.S. citizens Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities. "Active citizenship" is the philosophy that citizens should work towards the betterment of their community through economic participation, public , volunteer work, and other such efforts to improve life for all citizens. In this vein, and, while it is a civilian A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces. The term is also often used colloquially to refer to people who are not members of a particular profession or occupation, especially by law enforcement agencies, which often use rank structures similar to those of military units award, it can also be awarded to military A military is an organization authorized to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. As an adjective the term "military" is also used to refer to any property or aspect of a military. Militaries often function as societies within societies, by having their own personnel and worn on the uniform Military uniforms comprises standardized dress worn by members of the armed forces and paramilitaries of various nations. Military dress and military styles have gone through great changes over the centuries from colourful and elaborate to extremely utilitarian. Military uniforms in the form of standardized and distinctive dress, intended for.
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History of the award
Medal and accoutrements including undress ribbon Ribbon bars are small decorations that are worn by military, police, and fire service personnel or by civilians. Ribbon bars are mainly used when wearing either full decoration, or when wearing medals is considered inappropriate or impractical. Each military force has its own rules on what ribbons are worn in which order of precedence. Some awards, miniature, and lapel badge A lapel pin is a small pin often worn on the lapel of a dress jacket. Lapel pins can be purely ornamental or can indicate the wearer's affiliation with an organization or cause; for example, American Flag lapel pins became very popular in the United States, especially among politicians, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali is a retired American boxer and three-time World Heavyweight Champion, who is widely considered one of the greatest heavyweight championship boxers of all time. As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. After turning professional, he went on to become the first boxer to's Presidential Medal of Freedom on display at the Muhammad Ali Center The Muhammad Ali Center, a museum and cultural center built as a tribute to the champion athlete and his values, is located in Louisville, Kentucky's "Museum Row" in the West Main District of downtown in Louisville Louisville (usually pronounced /ˈluː.əvəl/ ; see Pronunciation below) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's estimated population as of 2008 was 713,877 (consolidated;, Kentucky Kentucky is known as the "Bluegrass State", a nickname based on the fact that native bluegrass is present in many of the pastures throughout the state, based on the fertile soil. It made possible the breeding of high-quality livestock, especially thoroughbred racing horses. It is a land with diverse environments and abundant resources,. Received November 9th, 2005 (see article).The Presidential Medal of Freedom has its roots in the Medal of Freedom established by President Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States (1945–1953). As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice-president and the 34th Vice President of the United States, he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his historic fourth term in 1945 to honor civilian service during World War II Albania · Australia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Belgium · Brazil · Bulgaria · Burma · Cambodia · Canada · Ceylon (Sri Lanka) · Channel Islands · China · Czechoslovakia · Denmark · Dutch East Indies · Egypt · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Gibraltar · Greece · Greenland · Hong Kong · Hungary · Iceland ·.[2] President John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963 nominally revived the medal in 1963 through Executive Order 11085. In practical terms, this order created what amounted to a new decoration, with totally different insignia Insignia is a symbol or token of personal power, status or office, or of an official body of government or jurisdiction. Insignia are especially used as an emblem of a specific or general authority, vastly expanded purpose, and far higher prestige.[3]
The medal is awarded annually, on or near the Fourth of July In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts,, and at other times as chosen by the President The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is one of only two nationally elected federal officers, the other being the Vice President of the United States. Recipients are selected by the President, either on his own initiative or based on recommendations. The order reviving the medal also expanded the size and the responsibilities of the Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board so it could serve as a major source of such recommendations.
The medal may be awarded to an individual more than once (for example, John Kenneth Galbraith John Kenneth "Ken" Galbraith, OC was a Canadian-American economist. He was a Keynesian and an institutionalist, a leading proponent of 20th-century American liberalism and progressivism. His books on economic topics were bestsellers from the 1950s through the 1970s and he filled the role of public intellectual in this period on matters and Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State (2001–2005), serving under President George W. Bush. He was the first African American appointed to that position. During his military career, Powell also served as National Security Advisor (198), and may also be awarded posthumously (for example, Cesar Chavez César Chávez Estrada was a Mexican American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers (UFW), Paul "Bear" Bryant, Roberto Clemente Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player and a Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. On November 14, 1964, he married Vera Zabala at San Fernando Church in Carolina. The couple had three children: Roberto Jr., Luis Roberto and Enrique Roberto. He, Jack Kemp Jack French Kemp was an American politician and a collegiate and professional football player. A Republican, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1989–93, having previously served nine terms as a Congressman for Western New York from 1971–89. He was the Republican Party's nominee for Vice, John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963, Thurgood Marshall Thurgood Marshall was an American jurist and the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Before becoming a judge, he was a lawyer who was best remembered for his high success rate in arguing before the Supreme Court and for the victory in Brown v. Board of Education. He was nominated to the court by President, Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, served as the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969 after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States from 1961 to 1963. He is one of four Presidents – along with John Tyler, Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon – who served in all four elected Federal offices of the and Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Politics and gay activism were not his early interests; he was not open about his homosexuality and did not participate in civic matters until around age 40,).
Insignia
The badge of the Presidential Medal of Freedom is in the form of a golden star with white enamel In a discussion of material science, enamel is the colorful result of fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 degrees Celsius. The powder melts and flows and hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating on metal, glass or ceramic. According to some sources, the word enamel comes from the High German word, with a red enamel pentagon In geometry, a pentagon is any five-sided polygon. A pentagon may be simple or self-intersecting. The internal angles in a simple pentagon total 540°. A pentagram is an example of a self-intersecting pentagon behind it; the central disc bears thirteen gold stars on a blue enamel background (taken from the Great Seal of the United States The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the United States federal government. The phrase is used both for the physical seal itself , and more generally for the design impressed upon it. The Great Seal was first used publicly in 1782) within a golden ring. Golden American Bald Eagles The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large with spread wings stand between the points of the star. It is worn around the neck on a blue ribbon with white edge stripes.
Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American businessman, retired Navy Fighter Pilot, diplomat, and politician who served as the 13th Secretary of Defense under President Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977 and as the 21st Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006. He is both the youngest (43 years old) and the oldest (74 years old) displays his Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction.A special grade of the medal, known as the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, has the same medal worn as a star on the left chest; in addition, it is worn as a sash on the right shoulder, with its rosette A rosette is a small, circular device that is presented with a medal. The rosettes are primarily for situations where wearing the medal is deemed inappropriate. Rosettes are issued in nations such as France, Italy and Japan. Rosettes are also sometimes called bowknots, due to their shape (blue with white edge, bearing the central disc of the medal at its center) resting on the left hip.
Both medals may also be worn in miniature form on a ribbon on the left chest, with a silver American Bald Eagle with spread wings on the ribbon (or a golden American Bald Eagle if a medal "with Distinction"). In addition, the medal is accompanied by a ribbon bar Ribbon bars are small decorations that are worn by military, police, and fire service personnel or by civilians. Ribbon bars are mainly used when wearing either full decoration, or when wearing medals is considered inappropriate or impractical. Each military force has its own rules on what ribbons are worn in which order of precedence. Some awards for wear on military service uniform, a miniature medal pendant for wear on a mess dress Mess dress is the military term for the formal evening dress worn in the mess or at other formal occasions. It is also known as mess uniform and mess kit. This style of military dress is largely restricted to the British, Commonwealth of Nations and United States armed forces; although the Imperial German and other navies adopted their own, and a lapel badge A lapel pin is a small pin often worn on the lapel of a dress jacket. Lapel pins can be purely ornamental or can indicate the wearer's affiliation with an organization or cause; for example, American Flag lapel pins became very popular in the United States, especially among politicians, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 for wear on civilian clothes (all shown in the accompanying photograph of the full presentation set).
Recipients
See also: List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients This is a partial list of well-known recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, grouped by the aspect of life in which they are/were renowned. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded by the President of the United States "for especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, or (2)Gallery
See also
- Awards and decorations of the United States government
- Awards and decorations of the United States military
- Légion d'honneur (France)
- Order of Canada
- Order of Australia
- Order of Merit (Commonwealth realms order)
- Presidential Citizens Medal
- George Cross (United Kingdom)
- Federal Cross of Merit (Germany)
- Bharat Ratna (India)
References
- ^ "Presidential Medal of Freedom", Notable Names Database (undated and with caveat lector: "It is not known how precisely many Medals of Freedom have been awarded, but the number exceeds 20,000."). Accessed August 22, 2009.
- ^ Executive Order 9586, signed July 6, 1945; Federal Register 10 FR 8523, July 10, 1945
- ^ Executive Order 11085, signed February 22, 1963; Federal Register 28 FR 1759, February 26, 1963
External links
- "Presidential Medal of Freedom", an article (undated) from jfklibrary.org, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum's official website. Accessed August 22, 2009.
- Text of the order re-establishing the medal
- "Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients", a list of recipients from May 5, 1993, through August 19, 2009, from senate.gov, the U.S. Senate's official website. Accessed August 22, 2009.
- "President Bush Honors Medal of Freedom Recipients", a news release from the White House Press Secretary, December 15, 2006, containing a transcript of President George W. Bush's opening remarks at the December 15, 2006, presentation (with link to individual citations). Hosted on georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov, a section of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration's official website. Accessed August 22, 2009.
- "Medal of Freedom Ceremony" (August 12, 2009), a news release, August 12, 2009, from the White House Press Secretary at whitehouse.gov, the White House's official website. Accessed August 22, 2009.
Categories: Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients | Presidency of the United States | Civil awards and decorations of the United States
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General Lone Wolf
Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:55:21 GM
By the way, Joe Medicine Crow is not a recipient of the . Medal. of Honor. He received the . Presidential Medal of Freedom. and from Obama. Obama is so clueless he doesn't know the difference between the nation's highest award that ...
