08/06/2011 13:25
Obama awards Merkel Medal of Freedom
At the State Dinner in the Rose Garden, President Obama presented German Chancellor Angela Merkel with the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award the president may bestow, ABC News reported.
In his comments before presenting the award, Obama described Merkel as a symbol of freedom, given her childhood in communist East Germany.
“Tonight, we honor Angela Merkel not for being denied her freedom, or even for attaining her freedom, but for what she achieved when she gained her freedom,” Obama said.
The Medal of Freedom is usually an honor bestowed upon Americans, although, as the president pointed out, Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl are past recipients.