Lawmaker, Navy Lawyer to Receive Kennedy Awards
Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), a Vietnam veteran who has denounced the war in Iraq, was named a recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Thursday.
Alberto Mora, a former Navy general counsel who warned Pentagon officials that U.S. policies on terrorism detainees could invite abuse, also will receive the award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
Murtha was recognized “for the difficult and courageous decision of conscience he made in November 2005, when he reversed his support for the Iraq war and called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the conflict,” the foundation said in a statement.
Mora was honored for “waging a 2 1/2 -year behind-the-scenes battle with Pentagon brass and civilian leaders over U.S. military policy regarding the treatment of detainees held by the United States as part of the war on terror,” the foundation said.
The award, created in 1989 and named for Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, is presented to people who have withstood strong opposition while fighting for their beliefs.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Caroline Kennedy, the late president’s daughter, will present the awards May 22 at the library.
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