San Franciso Chronicle

Deb Riechmann, Associated Press

Friday June 20, 2008

Presidential medals go to Lantos, 5 others
Peninsula representative, a human rights advocate, gets posthumous honor

(06-20) 04:00 PDT Washington --

President Bush presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, to the late Rep. Tom Lantos and leaders in medicine, the judiciary and the military Thursday.

In a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Bush lauded and joked with five recipients and Annette Lantos, who accepted the award on behalf of her late husband.

Lantos, a Holocaust survivor, died of cancer in February. The San Mateo Democrat was chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and known as a champion of human rights. Bush recalled Lantos' remarks as he announced his retirement from Congress.

"His words were not of despair, but of gratitude for a nation that had given him so much," Bush said. " 'Only in America could a penniless survivor of the Holocaust receive an education, raise a family and have the privilege of serving in the Congress.' "

The Medal of Freedom was established by President Harry Truman in 1945 to recognize civilians for their efforts during World War II. The award was reinstated by President John Kennedy in 1963 to honor distinguished service. It is given to those deemed to have made remarkable contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, culture, or other private or public endeavors.

This year's other recipients are:

-- Dr. Benjamin Carson Sr.: In 1987, he performed the world's first successful operation separating twins joined at the back of the head. He is director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.

-- Dr. Anthony Fauci: An adviser to the government on global AIDS issues, he is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

-- Retired Marine Gen. Peter Pace: One of the Iraq war's military architects, Pace retired last year as 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first Marine to hold the post.

-- Donna Shalala: Health and Human Services secretary under President Bill Clinton and now president of the University of Miami, she helped lead a presidential commission charged with getting wounded military veterans better health care.

-- Laurence Silberman: Appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, he helped lead a presidential commission investigating flawed prewar intelligence about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.