Presidential Medal of Freedom
| Presidential Medal of Freedom | |
|---|---|
 |
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Awarded by President of the United States |
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| Type | Medal |
| Awarded for | "An especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." |
| Statistics | |
| Distinct recipients |
Unknown; an average of fewer than 11 per year since 1993 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None |
| Next (lower) | Presidential Citizens Medal |
.PNG){kind=small} .png){kind=small} Service ribbon of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (left: Medal with Distinction) |
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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". 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.
It was established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy, superseding the Medal of Freedom that was established by President Harry S. Truman in 1945 to honor civilian service during World War II.
Similar in name to the Medal of Freedom, but much closer in meaning and precedence to the Medal for Merit: the Presidential Medal of Freedom is currently the supreme civilian decoration in precedence, whereas the Medal of Freedom was inferior in precedence to the Medal for Merit; the Medal of Freedom was awarded by any of three Cabinet secretaries, whereas the Medal for Merit was awarded by the president, as is the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Another measure of the difference between these two similarly named but very distinct awards is their per-capita frequency of award: from 1946 to 1961 the average annual incidence of award of the Medal of Freedom was approximately 1 per every 86,500 adult U.S. citizens; from 1996 to 2011 the average annual incidence of award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom was approximately 1 per every 20,500,000 adult U.S. citizens (so on an annualized per capita basis, 240 Medals of Freedom have been awarded per one Presidential Medal of Freedom).
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