— First Battle of Crete Award Recipient, Aung San Suu Kyi, Receives US Congress’ Highest Honor —
WASHINGTON, DC, September 20, 2012 — “Yesterday in the Rotunda of the US Capitol Building, much of America’s leadership turned out to honor the first winner of the Battle of Crete Award, Aung San Suu Kyi,” said Mike Manatos, Executive Director of the Washington Oxi Day Foundation, who attended the ceremony and spoke to Suu Kyi about her Battle of Crete Award. “She was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor the US Congress can bestow.”
Previous recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal have included George Washington, Winston Churchill, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Those US officials speaking at the ceremony included:
- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
- Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH)
- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)–who nominated Suu Kyi for the Battle of Crete Award
- Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
- Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY) — who introduced Aung San Suu Kyi at the Oxi Day Banquet
- Former First Lady of the United States Laura Bush
Immediately following this ceremony, Suu Kyi left for a private meeting with President of the United States Barack Obama.
The Washington Oxi Day Foundation was established to ensure that US policymakers in Washington, DC and people around the world are not being allowed to forget, amid today’s negative publicity about Greece, the real “brand” of the Greek people. The Oxi Day Foundation award winners are those people who today exhibit the same David vs. Goliath courage for freedom and democracy that the Greek people did in World War II.
When Aung San Suu Kyi received the Battle of Crete Award in 2011, she had to accept by videotape. At the time, if she left her country, the authorities would not have allowed her to return. Suu Kyi said when receiving the Battle of Crete Award:
“The courage of the Greeks during the second world war was something in which I took pride as though they were my very own people…the concepts of democracy and heroism have come to us from Greece. And ‘Oxi,’ the ability to say ‘no’.”
“And because of all those people who have said ‘no’ to injustice, no to unreason, no to cruelty, no to revenge, we are now where we are. We have made progress along the road of civilization…because of those many heroes of the past who have decided to say no.”
To see a video of her full acceptance speech, click here.
When Secretary Clinton visited her country one month later, Suu Kyi asked Secretary Clinton to bring the Battle of Crete Award with her. She valued highly being identified with the David vs. Goliath courage for Democracy and Freedom.