It’s an eclectic crowd that will soon receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. President Donald Trump is getting ready to deliver this significant American honor to seven people next week. Some of the recipients included Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), musician Elvis Presley, baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth and the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is our country’s highest civilian honor. It is awarded to those citizens who have “made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors,” the White House said in a statement Saturday.
In that statement from the White House they highlighted Hatch’s more than four decades of service in the Senate. It was noted that he has “sponsored more bills that have become law than any other living Member of Congress.”
From a completely different angle, Elvis Presley is being awarded the medal. The rock and roll singer is being given this honor for his contributions to defining American music as well as his willingness to serve nearly two years in the military despite his fame, the White House said.
Scalia is being given the award for his almost 30-year term on the Supreme Court, He has long been considered as a “champion of the United States Constitution.”
Others who are in line to receive the prestigious medal on November 16th include an array of people like Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach, former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page and philanthropist Miriam Adelson, the wife of GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson.
As you can see, the list is varied with people from a number of walks of life and influence in the American scene. Do any of this recipients seem out of place to you? We look forward to seeing your comments.