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The highest civilian award for excellence in the US is the Medal of Freedom  Award given annually by the President of the US in December. This year we have a bumper crowdof 21 recipients coming from the art, cinema, science, legal, sports, communications, and public service professions representing the best of the best that the US has to offer. President Obama gave a moving speech highlighting the accomplishments of each recipients with humor and exaltation. I sat through the entire speech and ceremony  (11/22/2016) transfixed to the TV screen since  I literally lived through the years each of the recipients made their marks on the world.  Memories of my 67 years living abroad away from China once again flooded my  consciousness. It is truly “once more with feeling”.  I am a lucky guy!