Politics. On Point.

On February 15, 2013 President Obama awarded average citizens, doing the extraordinary for country and community, with the highest honor that a president can bestow to a citizen. Among them was veteran Adam Burke .  Burke was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder after saving a comrade from a mortar blast in Iraq's Sunni Triangle - for which he received a Purple Heart. Said President Obama of Adam: " When Adam Burke returned from Iraq, he had more than earned the right to just focus on himself. He had served our nation with honor; a recipient of the Purple Heart for wounds he received while rescuing a comrade from enemy fire. Because of the shrapnel that tore through his head and his legs –- when Adam came home, he came home a wounded warrior, suffering from a traumatic brain injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. But a few years later, Adam found himself back on the family farm, and he noticed that working the land was therapeutic. ...

President Obama welcomed to the White House 13 recipients of the 2011 Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor. Nearly 6,000 public nominations were submitted “This year’s recipients of the Citizens Medal come from different backgrounds, but they share a commitment to a cause greater than themselves,” said President Obama. The Citizens Medal was established in 1969 to recognize American citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.  Like last year, President Obama is recognizing Americans this year whose work has had a significant impact on their communities but may not have garnered national attention.  In May, the President called on members of the public to nominate people in their lives who have performed exemplary deeds of service outside of their regular jobs, including individuals: Who have a demonstrated commitment to service in their own community or in communities farther fr...

Recipients Include A Congressman and Former U.S. President Fifteen iconic Americans received the prestigious Medal of Freedom award today from President Barack Obama in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.  President Obama holds a Medal of Freedom award.  One of 15 awarded in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.  Photo/CD Brown. Among those awarded:  The Boston Celtics' NBA great Bill Russell; Stan Musial, baseball legend and Hall of Fame first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals; Congressman John Lewis , American hero and giant of the Civil Rights Movement; Warren Buffett, investor, industrialist, and philanthropist; Dr. Maya Angelou , author, poet, educator, producer, actress, filmmaker, and civil rights activist; cellist Yo-Yo Ma , Dr. Tom Little (Posthumous); Gerda Weismann Klein , Jewish Holocaust survivor;  artist Jasper Johns ; John H. Adams co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council;   Chancellor ...

On his own 49th birthday, President Obama honored thirteen winners from across the country with the gift of the citizens' medal of honor - the nation’s second-highest civilian honor. President Obama Congratulates Ms. Myrtle Faye Rumph of Inglewood, CA on receiving the Citizens Medal of Honor. Photo/CD Brown. “What unites these citizens – what makes them special – is the determination they share to find a wrong and right it; to see a need and meet it; to recognize when others are suffering and take it upon themselves to make a difference,” said President Obama. “These honorees’ lives stand as shining examples of what it means to be an American. And today, we have an opportunity to tell their stories; to say thank you; and to offer them a small token of our appreciation.” The Citizens Medal was established in 1969 to recognize American citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens. This year, President Obama chose to...