The Presidential Medal of Freedom

     The Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered to be the "highest civilian honor" of the United States and is one bestowed to only a select few individuals every year by the President of the United States. Established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy, the Presidential Medal of Freedom acted as an expansion to the former Medal of Freedom Award created by President Harry Truman in 1945, as the Medal of Freedom was only given to war veterans in response to the end to World War II. Although it is considered to be a civilian honor, it is not limited solely to American citizens, rather it can be given to any individual who has worked to promote peace, national interests, or cultural achievements worldwide. It is the president who is able to select the nominees and present the award to them in a formal ceremony at the White House. Such an event typically occurs only once per year, but the president is able to determine how many awards will be given out on how many occasions. As per the terms set forth in Kennedy's Executive Order in sanctioning the creation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom award, the medal can be delivered in two different forms, one being the regular award itself and the alternative being the award given with the addition to its title "with distinction," a much rarer form of the award only provided to a select few of all award nominees.
     This past year in the final days of the Obama Administration, two separate ceremonies were held in which the medal was presented. November 2016 can be characterized as the traditional annual ceremony in which twenty-one exceptional individuals of varying professions, among them being those of TV talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, architect Frank Gehry, hall of fame NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabar, and longtime baseball commentator and sports broadcaster Vin Scully. The second occasion in the past year was only one week prior to Inauguration Day in which President Obama rewarded his vice president, Joe Biden, for his exceptional services and presented him the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award with distinction. In total, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a form of praise that captures the American spirit. Dedicating an entire day in recognizing the positive contributions made by individuals around the world allows for others around the world to grasp a better understanding of what the United States values most and the ideals that it strives to emulate both in terms of domestic and international interactions. Through the praising of those aspiring to broaden the definitions of freedom and peace for all humans, these particular goals are able to grow closer in reaching total fruition and act as further inspiration for people to strive toward making a positive impact on the world.

 

Works Cited:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Presidential-Medal-of-Freedom
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/11/16/president-obama-names-recipients-presidential-medal-freedom
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2073.html
http://www.npr.org/2017/01/12/509545778/in-surprise-send-off-president-obama-awards-biden-presidential-medal-of-freedom