American Veterans Center Awards Since its inception, first the World War II Veterans Committee and now, the American Veterans Center, have sought to highlight the tremendous stories of valor among America’s veterans. Each year, the American Veterans Center’s annual conference ends with a gala awards banquet, recognizing our greatest heroes from across the generations. The awards ceremony is a reminder that, whether their heroic actions took place six months or 60 years ago, the stories of these veterans should be remembered, and celebrated, for all time. |
Audie Murphy Award For distinguished service in the United States military during World War II | ||
Previous Recipients:
| The most decorated soldier of World War II, Audie Leon Murphy was born to Texas sharecroppers in 1924. He joined the army as a private in 1942, shortly after his 18th birthday. Throughout his three years of active service, Murphy fought with the 3rd Infantry Division in nine major campaigns in the European theatre. He received every medal the Army had to offer including two Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts. He received the Medal of Honor for his valor repelling six German tanks and their supporting infantry near Holtzwihr, France. Murphy also received five medals from France and Belgium. While rising to the rank of Second Lieutenant, Murphy killed over 240 Germans and single-handedly eliminated a tank. He was deactivated on September 21, 1945. After the war, he became nationally known for both his wartime heroism and his leading role in films. Audie L. Murphy is and will remain one of America’s most heroic sons. | |
Raymond G. Davis Award For distinguished service in the United States military during the Korean War | ||
Previous Recipients: | Raymond G. Davis was appointed a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in 1938, following his college graduation and ROTC training. Throughout his military career, Davis fought in three wars and fourteen different campaigns. He rose to the rank of general, while earning 18 American and seven foreign awards. Among these included the Navy Cross, earned for actions at Peleliu during World War II and the Distinguished Service Medal during Vietnam. However, it was in December of 1950, near the Chosin Reservoir in Korea, that Davis would earn the acclaim that has made him legendary. While carrying his wounded along, he led his battalion over icy ridges to rescue a stranded rifle company. During this mission alone he was credited with saving over 1,000 Marines from certain death and 6,000 additional Marines from possible destruction. For this, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, and remains one of the great heroes in Marine Corps history. | |
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Joe Ronnie Hooper Award For distinguished service in the United States military during the Vietnam War | ||
Previous Recipients: | The most decorated soldier in international combat in American history, Joe Ronnie Hooper, a native South Carolinian, joined the military when he was 19 years old. He was deployed with the 501st Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, popularly known as the Delta Raiders in 1966. During his two tours of duty in Vietnam, Hooper killed at least 115 Vietnamese. Surpassing both Sergeant Alvin York and Second Lieutenant Audie Murphy, Hooper earned 37 medals, including two Silver Stars, six Bronze Stars and eight Purple Hearts. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his courage on February 21, 1968 in the battle of Hue during the Tet Offensive. Among his many acts of valor that day, he is credited with single-handedly destroying three enemy bunkers, eliminating the enemy in four more with grenades and killing additional Vietnamese with his rifle and bayonet. He accomplished these feats while he was wounded, refusing medical help until his line was restored. Hooper retired as a captain in 1972 at the age of 34, one of America’s great heroes of Vietnam. | |
Paul Ray Smith Award For distinguished service in the United States military during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom | ||
| Paul Ray Smith was born in Texas in 1969. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1989 and was deployed with Bravo Company of the 3rd Infantry Division to Kosovo in 2001, rising to the rank of sergeant first class the spring of 2002. In January of 2003, he was deployed to Kuwait in preparation for what would become Operation Iraqi Freedom. On April 4, 2003, two weeks after the invasion, Smith’s unit found itself engaged in heavy combat against superior numbers of enemy forces near Baghdad International Airport. In the heat of the battle, Smith ran under heavy fire to a nearby mounted machine gun. While maintaining this exposed position, he killed nearly 50 enemy fighters before he was mortally wounded. His selfless actions saved the lives of more than 100 soldiers and repelled the enemy attack. For his valor, he posthumously was awarded the Medal of Honor—the first American service member to receive the military’s highest honor for Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. | |
Edward J. Herlihy Citizenship Award | ||
| Individual recognition for significant work in preserving the legacy of America’s veterans and active-duty service members, and for demonstrating a devotion to America above and beyond the call. | |
Hunter Scott Youth Award | James Trimble III Scholarship | |
Recognition for a young person who has done significant work to preserve the legacy of America’s veterans and active duty service members.
| Awarded to one or more outstanding high school seniors, in association with the Young Marines, for devotion to scholarship and the values of the United States Armed Forces. Previous Recipients:
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Previous Awards | ||
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