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Citizen Honors Award

Medal of Honor Recipients make a point to annually recognize American heroes—whether they are credited with a single act of bravery or are providing service to others.

The tradition of Medal of Honor Recipients honoring other U.S. citizens began 15 years ago, and the Citizen Honors program continues to support the mission of the Society to promote the principles behind the Medal of Honor and to show that they are relevant to all Americans.

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The tradition is in keeping with the preference of Medal of Honor Recipients to shine a light on others rather than themselves as they believe that the Medals of Honor they were awarded should be seen more broadly as a symbol of the sacrifices and service of others. It is this perspective that led the Society to establish the Citizen Honors Awards.

To find Honorees, a nationwide search is conducted to select five U.S. citizens and one organization to receive Citizen Honors Awards. These acknowledgments are among the numerous ways the Congressional Medal of Honor Society fulfills its mission to promote the values embodied by the Medal:

Courage • Sacrifice

Integrity • Commitment Patriotism • Citizenship

A panel assembled by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society considers all nominations and selects national finalists. Then, a second panel made up exclusively of Medal of Honor Recipients, Americans whose actions have truly defined the words “courage” and “selfless service” – selects individuals and organizations from those finalists to receive the Citizen Honors Awards.

The categories are:

SINGLE ACT OF HEROISM AWARD

Recognizes Americans who accomplish extraordinary feats of heroism by risking their lives for the benefit of others in a dire situation.

YOUNG HERO AWARD

Recognizes young Americans aged 17 or younger for their courage in a dire situation.

SERVICE ACT AWARD

Recognizes Americans who consistently place others before themselves through volunteer service.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

Recognizes a community-based organization for its exceptional impact or mission in supporting our nation’s military service members and families.

YOUTH SERVICE AWARD

Recognizes young Americans ages 8-17 for placing others before themselves through volunteer service.

THE NOMINATION PROCESS

Nominations are accepted all year, and any U.S. civilian who, through a singular act of extraordinary heroism or through ongoing selfless acts has clearly demonstrated dedication to others is an eligible nominee. In all cases, the actions being honored must epitomize the concept of “service above self” and must be performed “above and beyond” one’s professional or vocational area of responsibility or conduct. g

Young Americans aged 17 and under can be nominated for their courage or dedication to service while community organizations can be nominated for their exceptional impact or mission in supporting the nation’s military service members and families.

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA INCLUDE:

• Nominees must be U.S. citizens. • All acts must have occurred within the 12 months prior to nomination. • Acts of valor or service cannot have been performed towards one’s own family members. • Community organizations must be certified non-profits and must currently be in operation. • Government and government-affiliated organizations are not eligible. • Self-nominations for individual awards will not be accepted. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society reserves the right to not present an award in a particular category in any year. Also, individual nominees who are deceased are eligible. For additional details, visit the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website at cmohs.org.

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