U.S. President Barack Obama awarded the nation's highest civilian honor - the Presidential Medal of Freedom - to 16 Americans in a ceremony at the White House on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients
![Former Chicago Cubs first baseman Ernie Banks, pictured in 2013. ](https://gdb.voanews.com/7c341668-c3ac-40ba-be30-6c70961c8f5e_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Former Chicago Cubs first baseman Ernie Banks, pictured in 2013.
![Ben Bradlee, former executive editor of the Washington Post, pictured in 2011.](https://gdb.voanews.com/58ae3f56-873b-4bcb-b70e-c3835ab13fd5_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Ben Bradlee, former executive editor of the Washington Post, pictured in 2011.
![Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, pictured Oct. 29, 2013.](https://gdb.voanews.com/f3ea99b3-396c-4a3d-be5d-110d6c23d73a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, pictured Oct. 29, 2013.
![Former Hawaii Senator. Daniel Inouye, pictured in 2012.](https://gdb.voanews.com/beacf3da-f3c7-44b8-9235-4950f73ab115_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Former Hawaii Senator. Daniel Inouye, pictured in 2012.