President Donald Trump said on September 11 that he will posthumously award conservative activist Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Kirk was assassinated during a campus event in Utah the previous day.
Speaking at a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at the Pentagon, Trump honored Kirk’s legacy and condemned the attack, describing the killing as “heinous.” He added that the date of the ceremony honoring Kirk will be announced in the future.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom has been awarded by the US president ever since President John F. Kennedy established it by Executive Order on February 22, 1963. The medal recognizes those who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."
In this gallery, we look at some of the famous personalities who have been presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Click through and get to know them.