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		</div><p><a href="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/merkel-honoured-with-freedom-medal.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full" title="Barack Obama presents former president George HW Bush with the 2010 Medal of Freedom (AP)" src="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/min-merkel-honoured-with-freedom-medal.jpg" alt="Barack Obama presents former president George HW Bush with the 2010 Medal of Freedom (AP)"/></a></p>
<p>Barack Obama honoured a predecessor, Germany&#8217;s leader and artists, athletes, civil rights activists, humanitarians and others with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for contributions to society that he said spoke to &#8220;who we are as a people&#8221;.</p>
<p>This year&#8217;s recipients, who included German chancellor Angela Merkel, &#8220;reveal the best of who we are and who we aspire to be,&#8221; President Obama said at a White House ceremony.</p>
<p>The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation&#8217;s highest civilian honour, given in recognition of contributions to US national security, world peace, culture or other significant public or private endeavours.</p>
<p>He said Ms Merkel, who was not present, dreamed of freedom as she grew up in what was then East Germany. &#8220;And when the wall finally crumbled and Germany was reunited, she broke barriers of her own, becoming the first East German and the first woman to become chancellor of Germany,&#8221; Mr Obama said.</p>
<p>He said Ms Merkel&#8217;s story was an inspiration to people around the world.</p>
<p>Mr Obama added that Ms Merkel would be making an official visit to the US soon and he looked forward to presenting the award to a &#8220;trusted global partner and a friend&#8221;.</p>
<p>Some of the loudest applause was reserved for former US president George Bush senior.</p>
<p>The former Republican president devoted nearly 70 of his 86 years to public service, starting when he joined the US Navy on his 18th birthday. He served as a congressman from Texas, United Nations ambassador, Republican Party chairman, US envoy to China, director of central intelligence, a two-term vice president and one term as the 41st president. &#8220;His life is a testament that public service is a noble calling,&#8221; Mr Obama said.</p>
<p>A particularly touching moment occurred during the presentation for Dr Tom Little, an optometrist who was murdered by the Taliban last August in Afghanistan. His wife Libby accepted the medal and Mr Obama rubbed her back as a White House military aide read her husband&#8217;s citation.</p>
<p>Among the other medal recipients were author and poet Maya Angelou, investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett, artist Jasper Johns, Holocaust survivor and author Gerda Weissmann Klein, world renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez, former captain of the Boston Celtics professional basketball team Bill Russell, and Jean Kennedy Smith, a member of the Kennedy political clan and former ambassador to Ireland.</p>
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