LePage accepting nominations for highest civilian honors

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul LePage and The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation today announced they are now accepting nominations for the Citizen Service Before Self Honors, which recognizes and honors those ordinary Americans who become extraordinary through their indomitable courage and selflessness.

Citizen Service Before Self Honors are unique, because they are presented to unsung heroes by our nation’s most honored heroes—the fewer than 85 living recipients of our nation’s highest award for valor—the Medal of Honor.  The recipients comprise the congressionally chartered Medal of Honor Society, which is one of the most exclusive societies.

Citizen Service Before Self Honorees represents the values of courage, sacrifice and selfless service.  Governor LePage and Medal of Honor recipients encourage individuals to nominate any United States civilian who has clearly demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice for others whether through a single act of extraordinary heroism at risk to one’s life or through a prolonged series of selfless acts.  The nominee’s actions must epitomize the concept of “service before self” and must be performed “above and beyond” one’s professional area of responsibility or conduct.

Citizens may submit an eligible nominee by completing the nomination form online via the Citizen Service Before Self Honors website, www.csbsh.org.   The nomination period ends on Friday, December 28, 2012.

2013 marks the 152nd anniversary of the establishment of the Medal of Honor, which President Abraham Lincoln signed into law in 1861. 2013 also marks the 150th anniversary that the first Medals of Honor were awarded. These Medals were first presented on March 25, 1863 to a group of six men for valiant acts performed during the Civil War. Since that enactment, the Medal, which has been awarded fewer than 3,500 times, has been our nation’s highest award for military valor.  Its monumental anniversary represents 150 years of courage and sacrifice on the part of the millions of men and women who have defended our freedoms in uniform.

A panel, to include Medal of Honor recipient representation, will consider all nominations and select national finalists. Finalists will be announced on Monday, February 25, 2013.  From among those finalists, a second panel of Medal of Honor recipients will select three individuals to receive Citizen Service Before Self Honors.  The recipients will be announced on Monday, March 11, 2013, and honored at a ceremony on Friday, March 25, 2013, in conjunction with National Medal of Honor Day.  The ceremony will be held near the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, VA.

Profiles for each of the finalists will be available on the Citizen Service Before Self Honors website and each finalist will receive an embossed framed certificate signed by the President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. 

ABOUT THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR SOCIETY

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society was chartered by Congress in 1958 to create a brotherhood among the living recipients, to protect and uphold the dignity of the Medal, to promote patriotism and love of country and to inspire  our youth to become worthy, dedicated citizens of our country. It consists exclusively of the living Medal of Honor recipients. Today there are fewer than 85 members, who come from all social classes and race, ethnic and economic backgrounds. They range in age from 25 to 94 and live in all areas of our country. In November 2010, the first living individual from the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan received the Medal of Honor from the President of the United States.  He is presently 26 years old. For more information, visit www.cmohs.org.

ABOUT THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR FOUNDATION

The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society to perpetuate the Medal of Honor’s legacy of courage, sacrifice, selfless service and patriotism.  The Foundation supports the objectives, activities and outreach programs of the Society, and raises funds for initiatives such as Citizen Service Before Self Honors, that promote awareness of what the Medal of Honor represents.  For more information, visit www.cmohfoundation.org.