MEDAL OF FREEDOM AWARDS Öffentlichkeit Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 26, June 28, 2004, Article 6
MEDAL OF FREEDOM AWARDS
Now here's a headline President Reagan would have
been shocked to read: "Medal for President Hinckley is 94th
birthday present""It comes from Utah's Deseret Morning News and the
Hinckley mentioned is not Reagan's would-be assassin
(whose last name is spelled differently), but Mormon
Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, who
"received a rare gift for his 94th birthday Wednesday - a
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian
award.""He was one of 13 recipients honored at an East Room
ceremony. Others included such people as Pope John Paul II
(who received his medal recently when Bush visited the
Vatican), golfer Arnold Palmer, actress Rita Moreno,
cosmetics company founder Estee Lauder and National
Geographic Society chairman Gilbert M. Grosvenor."President Hinckley, smiling and walking briskly, joked with
Bush as he placed the gold medal around his neck. When
President Hinckley was asked later what the two said, he
responded, "I was so awestruck that I can't remember what
he said.""To show how much the treatment of his church has
improved since early persecution, President Hinckley
contrasted his high honor Wednesday with how Joseph
Smith, the first president of the church, was treated when
he visited Martin Van Buren in the White House in 1839."They came here to plead the case for our people who
had been despoiled and persecuted and driven, and were
turned down by President Van Buren - who said, 'If I
help you, I will lose the state of Missouri,' and rebuffed him.""The Medal of Freedom was established by President
Truman in 1945 to recognize civilians for their service in
World War II. It was reinstated by President Kennedy in
1963 to honor distinguished service.Past winners include former U.S. presidents Carter, Ford
and Reagan; current Secretary of State Colin Powell (who
attended the ceremony Wednesday); former South African
president Nelson Mandela; civil rights activist Jesse Jackson;
and former Czech President Vaclav Havel." Full Article[This web site has more information on the Medal of
Freedom: medaloffreedom.com. -Editor]- 2004-06-28
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