President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to Tom Brokaw during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on November 24, 2014 in Washington, DC. The Medal of Freedom is the country's highest civilian honor. Tom Brokaw is one of America’s most trusted and respected journalists. Mr. Brokaw served as anchor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004, and is currently a Special Correspondent for NBC News. For decades, Mr. Brokaw has reached millions of Americans in living rooms across the country to provide depth and analysis to historic moments as they unfold, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the terrorist attacks of 9-11. His reporting has been recognized by the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award, two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, eleven Emmys, and two Peabody awards. Mr. Brokaw previously served as anchor of NBC's Today, and following the death of his close friend Tim Russert, Mr. Brokaw took over Meet the Press during the 2008 campaign season. He has written five books including The Greatest Generation, a title that gave name to those who served in World War II at home and abroad. (Photo by Jeff Malet)
President Barack Obama awarded the highest civilian honor to 18 people including the families of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, who were killed in Mississippi in 1964, in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on November 24, 2014 in Washington, DC. The Medal of Freedom is the country's highest civilian honor. Receiving the medals on behalf of their families, left to right in the photo, were Schwerner's widow, Rita Bender; Andrew Goodman's brother, David Goodman; and Chaney's daughter, Angela Lewis. (Photo by Jeff Malet)
