Award Given by Congressional Medal of Honor Society
September 21, 2013 – Nick Buoniconti, NFL Hall of Famer and Founder of both The Miami Project and The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis received the Distinguished Citizen Award at the Patriot Award Dinner on Saturday, September 21 in historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The event, hosted by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, was emceed by CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer.
“This is a tremendous honor to receive the Distinguished Citizen Award, especially at such an historic place like Gettysburg. This is a recognition that I share with my family for our continued fight against paralysis, and for the millions of brave men and women who live with paralysis daily,” said Nick.
The Distinguished Citizen Award is presented to persons who, through their life’s work, have distinguished themselves as Americans dedicated to freedom and the ideals represented by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. In addition to Nick receiving the Distinguished Citizen Award, General Peter W. Chiarelli will receive the Patriot Award, Timothy Hetherington will get the Tex McCrary Award for Journalism, and the Bob Hope Award for Entertainment will go to actor Tom Selleck.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society Convention is an annual gathering of members of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society – the only organization consisting exclusively of recipients of the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States for valor in combat. The Convention honors Medal of Honor recipients and promotes the Medal’s values of courage, sacrifice, service and patriotism. Learn more about the 2013 convention at www.cmoh2013.org. The choice of Gettysburg to host the convention has special historical significance: 2013 marks the 150th anniversaries of the presentation of the first Medals of Honor, the Battle of Gettysburg and President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Additionally — and of importance to the Society — 2013 is the 55th anniversary of President Eisenhower’s chartering of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.