WASHINGTON
Fifty years after it was established by for former President John F. Kennedy, US President Barack Obama awarded sixteen Americans with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Wednesday.
"These are the men and women who in their extraordinary lives remind us all of the beauty of the human spirit, the values that define us as Americans, the potential that lives inside of all of us. I could not be more happy and more honored to participate in this ceremony here today," said Obama during the bestowing ceremony.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor in the United States.
Among those honored were former US President Bill Clinton, television personality Oprah Winfrey and country music star Loretta Lynn. Other recipients included former lawmakers, athletes and scientists.
Three of those who received medals were honored posthumously, including Daniel Inouye, the first Japanese-American to serve in Congress, Sally Ride, the first woman to travel to space, and Bayard Rustin, a rights activist and adviser to Martin Luther King, Jr.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
