The NGS Freedom Award was established by the Directors of the No Greater Sacrifice Foundation. This award is presented annually to an individual who epitomizes selfless service to the nation and represents the very best of our men and women in uniform.
The 3rd Annual NGS Freedom Award event was held May 19, 2010 at the historic Andrew Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC and the recipient was General Conway, Commandant of the United States Marine Corps.
To read about the 1st Annual Freedom Award, click here.
2nd Annual Freedom Award
On May 1st, 2009, No Greater Sacrifice hosted its 2nd Annual Freedom Award Dinner at the historic Andrew Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC.
Sponsored by Honorary Event Chairmen Senators Joseph Lieberman and John Thune, the evening brought together patriotic Americans of all stripes to pay tribute to those brave men and women in uniform who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation.
We were honored to host more than four-hundred attendees who collectively embody the spirit of service of No Greater Sacrifice, including:
General David Petraeus: commander of US Central Command
Colonel David Sutherland: Inaugural NGS Freedom Award recipient
General David Keane, US Army (Ret.): former commander, XVIII Airborne Corps and Vice Chief of Staff of the Army
General Montgomery Meigs, US Army (Ret.): Professor of Strategy and Military Operations at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service; former commander, US Army Europe
Honorable Michael Chertoff: former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Mike Emanuel: Fox News Pentagon Correspondent and Master of Ceremonies
James Kimsey: founder of AOL and West Point Trustee
Trish Lawton and family: wife of fallen Marine Captain Garrett Lawton
Pastor Scott Wagoner and family: father of fallen Army Staff Sergeant Terry Wagoner
Latrese Dixon and family: wife of fallen Army Staff Sergeant Donnie Dixon
Iraqi journalist Rafed al Temeemy and translator Nabil al Bassam.
Our nation’s wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Hospital
We were honored to receive notes of support for the NGS mission from several former Commanders-in-Chief and Vice Presidents, including Vice President Joe Biden; former Presidents George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and George H. W. Bush; and former Vice President Dick Cheney.
NGS was proud to announce the creation of two new scholarships on May 1st to honor our nation’s fallen heroes: the First Lieutenant Shane Childers USMC Memorial Scholarship and the Commander and Mrs. Richard P. Bilden Navy Scholarship. These scholarships will provide fully-funded college educations to the children of fallen Marines and Navy personnel, respectively.
Finally, the directors of the No Greater Sacrifice Foundation awarded the NGS Freedom Award, an annual award bestowed upon an individual who epitomizes selfless service to the nation and represents the very best of our men and women in uniform.
Last year, we presented the inaugural Freedom Award to Colonel David Sutherland, whose steadfast leadership as commander of the Army's 1st Cavalry Division “Greywolf" Brigade brought peace and stability to the volatile Diyala province of Iraq.
This year, Colonel Sutherland passed the mantle to another leader who has donned the nation's uniform to lead our nation's sons and daughters in battle. There is perhaps no one who embodies the ideals of the Freedom Award more than this year's honoree, General David Petraeus. As the architect of the successful "surge" strategy in Iraq, and now the commander of US Central Command, no other military commander in recent history has shaped world events or furthered the cause of freedom more than General Petraeus. It was our pleasure to recognize his contributions to the nation, and to bestow upon him this most prestigious of awards.
We thank all of those who were able to join us in our nation’s capital or support the evening from afar. Together, you have furthered our goal of making No Greater Sacrifice a household name in which every American can participate. We salute you, and those men and women in uniform who wear the uniform of our nation’s armed forces.