As a journalist and video reporter, James Foley dedicated the majority of his lifetime to exposing the suffering of oppressed peoples around the world. Foley served as a conflict journalist in Iraq in 2009 embedded with US troops, in Afghanistan in 2011, and then in Libya where he was embedded with rebel forces in an effort to educate the public about the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. Foley was captured by forces allied with Gaddafi, who killed a reporter with Foley during the capture. He was held captive for 44 days. However, Foley’s hardships did not deter him from continuing to report from conflict areas. In January of 2012, he began reporting from Syria on the Syrian Civil War. On November 22, 2012, Foley was captured by ISIS forces. After 21 months in captivity, Foley became the first American killed by ISIS forces in response to American airstrikes in Iraq. He is being honored with this award for the courage he showed—in the spirit of Oxi Day—through exposing the unacceptable atrocities committed abroad, and consequently, promoting democratic values.