About the medal

The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, was created by President Harry Truman on July 6, 1945. Its original purpose was to honor civilians who had played important roles in helping the U.S. win World War II.

The original executive order has been amended three times, providing the President with a greater latitude in developing a list of honorees. Today this award has a much broader base and is used by the President to recognize individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavor." This award can now be given to both civilians and those in the uniformed services, and it may be awarded posthumously. It may also be given to non-US citizens.

Records covering the recipients are spotty, especially in the early years of the award, but the number of recipients is believed to be more than 20,000.

Moe Berg • 1946

Berg, who reportedly felt embarrassed by the award and didn't deem himself worthy of it, was honored not for his modest play on the field but for his work essentially as a spy during World War II. Berg was assigned to the Secret Intelligence branch of the Office of Strategic Services in 1943 and parachuted into Yugoslavia to evaluate the various resistance groups operating against the Nazis to determine which was the strongest. His evaluations were used to help determine the amount of support and aid to give each group. Later that year, Berg was assigned to an operation whose stated purpose was to kidnap rocket and missile specialists from Italy and bring them to the United States.

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Joe DiMaggio • 1977

The son of Italian immigrants, DiMaggio was the consummate team player for the New York Yankees in an era (the Depression and World War II) in which cooperation was emphasized to overcome economic doldrums and global strife. In the 1940s, he was widely viewed as the most popular man in baseball and that popularity was so great that the U.S. Army would not let him go overseas during the war, for fear he would be killed or captured, and thus damage American morale. Hall of Famer DiMaggio left his mark off the field, too, opening the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Fla., in 1953.

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Jackie Robinson • 1984 (posthumously)

From 1942-44, Robinson served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. In 1944, Robinson was arrested and court-martialed after he refused to move to the back of a segregated bus during training. He was later acquitted of the charges and received an honorable discharge. His courage and moral objection to segregation were precursors to the impact Robinson would have in major league baseball, whose color barrier he broke in 1947 when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers. From the beginning of his career with the Dodgers, Robinson's will was tested. Even some of his teammates objected to having an African-American on their team. People in the crowds sometimes jeered at Robinson, and he and his family received threats. But, despite the racial abuse, Robinson persevered to have a Hall of Fame playing career before retiring when he refused to join the New York Giants, who had acquired him from the Dodgers after the 1956 season.

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Ted Williams • 1991

There is no telling how much more gaudy Hall of Famer Williams' statistics would have been had he not missed five prime-cut seasons to be a fighter pilot and to train pilots during World War II and the Korean War. Williams flew a total of 38 combat missions and achieved the rank of captain while serving both for the U. S. Navy and the Marine Corps. Williams wasn't always the most civil performer during his playing days but his service to his country hardly can be denied. Williams at first refused to go to the Freedom Medal ceremony because he thought he had to wear a tuxedo. He didn't have to, but Williams was asked to compromise and thus he made a rare appearance while wearing a tie.

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Hank Aaron • 2002

Aaron, the home-run record holder for years, played first on a Negro League team, and was then signed by the Milwaukee Braves and sent to a minor league team in Jacksonville, Fla., where he was one of the first black players to break the color line in the deep South. Aaron was a quiet star and had to hold his tongue when he encountered frequent bouts with racism throughout his career, notably when he broke white star Babe Ruth's home-run mark at 715 in 1974. In his presentation, Bush said, "By steadily pursuing his calling in the face of unreasoning hatred, Hank Aaron has proven himself a great human being, as well as a great athlete." Hall of Famer Aaron later became a front office executive for the Atlanta Braves, for whom he still works.

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Roberto Clemente • 2003 (posthumously)

At age 38, Pittsburgh Pirates star Clemente died in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972, off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico on his way to help earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Major League Baseball has continued to honor Clemente's legacy by annually, at the World Series, presenting the Roberto Clemente Award to the player who most represents Clemente's humanitarianism. Hall of Famer Clemente also has had many schools named after him. In Miami, Fla., the Roberto Clemente Youth Club was created to help at-risk Hispanic youth stay away from drugs and violence.

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Frank Robinson • 2005

Now an executive with Major League Baseball and a Most Valuable Player in both leagues, Hall of Famer Robinson was honored largely for his breaking another color barrier. In 1975, Robinson, then with Cleveland. became the first African-American manager in the major leagues. He was, in fact, a player-manager. Robinson was widely regarded as one of the game's most aggressive and fearless players. Bush's citation, in part, read, "The United States honors Frank Robinson for his extraordinary achievements as a baseball player and manager and for setting a lasting example of character in athletics."

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Buck O'Neil • 2006 (posthumously)

The Negro Leagues player, historian and advocate was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom less than three months after he died at age 94. O'Neil is widely credited for helping break down the barriers of racial prejudice. "Buck O'Neil lived long enough to see baseball and America change for the better," Bush said in his presentation. O'Neil missed by one vote of being elected to the Hall of Fame five years ago, along with other Negro League and pre-Negro League figures but the Hall of Fame has established a special lifetime achievement award in his honor. After his Negro Leagues career, O'Neil joined the Chicago Cubs as a scout and later became the first black coach of a major league team. He also was the driving force behind creation of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.

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Stan Musial • 2011

A three-time Most Valuable Player who holds the Cardinals' career records for hits, home runs and runs batted in, Musial is perhaps even a better person.

He never was ejected from a game in his 22-season career and he has remained a constant and inspiring presence in St. Louis since his retirement in 1963.

Over the years, Musial has been active on the President's Council on Physical Fitness, the USO, the Boy Scouts. Senior Olympics, Crippled Children's Society of St. Louis and other groups and charities. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, when the announcement of Musial's honor was announced, said, "Stan Musial is an extraordinary human being, a great American and one of the best players in the history of the game. He has long been a treasure of St. Louis, but he represents all the best of our national pastime."

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