NBA player Jerry West receives the Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump
Jerry West was a legendary player for the Los Angeles Lakers who was also successful as an executive in the 1980s and most recently with the Clippers.
USA TODAY
Jerry West has served the Lakers well, but his work on the basketball court cannot compare to the sacrifices made by Medal of Honor recipients.
That’s a sentence I never thought I would write.
Former President Donald Trump has come under criticism from veterans groups for calling the Presidential Medal of Freedom “much better” than the military’s Medal of Honor.
“It’s actually much better because everyone gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, so the soldiers – they’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit by bullets so many times, or they’re dead,” he said, speaking of the Medal of Freedom he awarded in 2018 to Dr. Miriam Adelson, a prominent Republican Party donor.
Trump awarded West the Medal of Freedom in 2019. The basketball legend died in June at the age of 86.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian award. The Congressional Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest award for military valor in action. To date, 3,519 people have been awarded the Medal of Honor.
Veterans are not the only ones outraged by Trump’s mistakes.