Congressional Medal of Honor Society to Host and Honor

2021 Citizen Honors Service Award Honorees

For Acts of Selfless Service

Charleston, SC, April 20, 2021 – The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, headquartered on the USS Yorktown in Charleston, is pleased to announce they will host the 2021 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Citizen Honors Award Honorees for Service July 12-14.  Several days of activities are planned, culminating in the awards dinner at the Belmond Charleston Place Hotel on July 14, to recognize the selfless service of these three individuals and one organization.

The Citizen Honors Award Honorees will receive their awards from a group of Americans whose actions have defined the words courage and selfless service – Medal of Honor Recipients. The Honorees are ordinary Americans who have gone above and beyond to perform extraordinary acts of service.

The 2021 Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Citizen Honors Award Honorees for Service are:

• Service Act:
  • AIDAN REILLY & JAMES KANOFF from Pacific Palisades, CA, were chosen for their selfless service as they responded to a nationwide crisis during (and because of) a global pandemic to create a grassroots initiative — FarmLink Project – connecting farmers with surplus product to communities in need.
• Youth Service Award:
  • CHARLES (Charlie) AUSTIN from Brunswick, ME, was chosen for his selfless service for donating time and money to help fund and develop The Warrior Program, a virtual training program for Special Olympics Maine (SOME).  As Charlie grappled with living with cardiac limitations, he was determined to stay in the world of sports and immersed himself in helping athletes of Special Olympics Maine (SOME).
•  Community Service Hero Award:
  • THE GARY SINISE FOUNDATION (GSF) was selected for their outstanding service to our military, their families and first responders.  Now in its 10^th year of operation, GSF honors our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need through creation and support of unique programs ​​designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities.

Due to the cancellation of last year’s recognition activities due to Covid-19, the 2020 Citizen Honors Award for Service Honorees will also be recognized at this year’s dinner. They are:

• Service Act:
  • MICHAEL JERNIGAN of North Richland Hills, TX, for his lifetime of selfless service to improve the lives of blind and impaired veterans. Michael co-founded “Paws for Patriots” at South Eastern Guide Dogs, which provides guide dogs and service animals to veterans.
• Youth Service Award:
  • ZACHARY BROOKS of Summit, NJ, for his advocacy of those affected by autism. Zachary founded “Artfully Abled”, an art event showcasing the abilities of those with developmental disabilities.
• Community Service Hero Award:
  • WOMEN VETERAN SOCIAL JUSTICE NETWORK in Atlanta, GA, for their work to identify, connect and empower women Veterans through professional and personal connections.

“Our honorees epitomize the values my fellow Medal of Honor Recipients hold dear,” said Society President Drew Dix, “While selfless service must start at home, these honorees have set a standard for others in communities nationwide to emulate.”

In addition to the Awards Dinner, the Society will host Veterans Outreach and Character Development programs with local Veterans organizations and the educational community.

The Veterans Outreach Program is on the frontline providing support to public and private sector organizations who are positively impacting those who have served or are still serving our country.  Medal of Honor Recipients are committed to serving their fellow service members and personally engage with organizations’ veteran programs through motivation, inspiration, and providing positive examples.

The Medal of Honor Character Development Program is a free resource for educators that teaches courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism to students through educationally grounded lessons developed by teachers for teachers. These six values are embodied in the Medal of Honor and exemplified in the actions for which it has been awarded.

Each year, the Society conducts a nationwide search to select individuals in four categories and one organization to receive their Citizen Honors Awards. Honorees exemplify the values embodied in the Medal of Honor:  courage, sacrifice, commitment, integrity, citizenship, and patriotism.

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society was chartered by Congress in 1958 to create a brotherhood among the living Medal of Honor recipients; to protect and uphold the dignity and honor of the Medal; to promote patriotism and love of country; and to inspire our youth to become worthy and dedicated citizens of our nation. Its membership consists exclusively of those individuals who have received the Medal of Honor. Today, there are 68 living recipients of the Medal of Honor.

More information on the Honorees and the Citizen Honors awards are available by contacting John Falkenbury at [email protected] or by visiting Medal of Honor Citizen Honors Overview | CMOHS

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