Nation’s top civilian honor awarded to 16

WASHINGTON – The East Room of the White House was full of top contributors to the arts, science, sports and humanities as President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 16 honorees Wednesday.

“The truest test of a person’s life is what we do for one another,” Obama said in kicking off the ceremony.

“They did not set out in pursuit of glory or fame or riches. Rather, they set out guided by passion, commitment to hard work aided by persistence often with few advantages but the gifts, grace and the good name God gave them,” Obama said.

All 14 of the living honorees, which included actor Sidney Poitier, performer Chita Rivera and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, were in attendance, with the exception of Sen. Edward Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer and whose sister Eunice died Tuesday. His daughter, Kara Kennedy, was there to accept on his behalf.

Obama remarked that this year’s recipients of the nation’s highest civilian honor were chosen for their work as “agents of change” whose accomplishments helped better the world.

Though the honorees did not make any remarks, Joe Medicine Crow, fully adorned in his native feathered headdress, proclaimed, “I am highly honored!” much to the delight of the crowd. Medicine Crow, the last living Plains Indian war chief, works to preserve the history and culture of Native Americans.

The award, which was established by President Harry Truman in 1945 to honor civilian service during World War II, is not limited to U.S. citizens and may be awarded more than once.

Posthumous honors went to Harvey Milk, the nation’s first openly gay elected official, who was shot in 1978 and was the subject of last year’s Academy Award-nominated “Milk”; and U.S. congressman Jack Kemp, who died in May.