who decides who gets the presidential medal of freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with the comparable Congressional Gold Medal—the highest civilian award of the United States. It recognizes those people who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors".[2] The award is not limited to U.S. citizens and, while it is a civilian award, it can also be awarded to military personnel and worn on the uniform.
List of Medal of Honor recipients The Iraq War,[61] Operation Iraqi Freedom (US),[62] Operation TELIC (UK)[63] or the occupation of Iraq,[64] was a conflict which began on March 20, 2003 with the United States-led invasion of Iraq by a multinational coalition composed of U.S. and U.K. troops supported by smaller contingents from Australia, Poland, and other nations.[65] Four service members have received the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq; two from the Army, one from the Marine Corps and one from the Navy. Paul R. Smith was the first to receive it for his actions on April 4, 2003 when he held enemy forces back, allowing other wounded soldiers to be evacuated to safety. The other three, Corporal Jason Dunham of the Marine Corps, Specialist Ross A. McGinnis of the Army and Master-at-Arms Second Class Michael A. Monsoor of the Navy received it after being killed while using their own bodies to smother grenades to protect their comrades.[66]