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| Sons of Italy News Bureau |
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| Press Release |
For Immediate Release |
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THE SONS OF ITALY HONORS PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
WASHINGTON, DC - June 10, 2010-
The
Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) presented President
Bill Clinton with a lifetime
achievement award for his career in public service during its 22nd annual National Education & Leadership
Awards (NELA) gala in Washington, D.C. on May 26.
Mr.
Clinton received his award from Quincy
Jones, who called the former president his "brother from another mother." During
his acceptance speech, Mr. Clinton said that one of the goals of the William J.
Clinton Foundation he has established is "changing the definition of good
citizenship."
"I
believe there is an enormous need, to help the helpers take the world in the
right direction," he said. Noting that
many in the audience are descendents of Italian immigrants, he said "the values
embodied by the Sons of Italy will take the country a long way...we are a
better country because we have immigrants. I think we ought to raise the ceiling on immigration."
Among
the 900 guests were prominent leaders from government, business, academia,
sports and entertainment, including: Nancy
Pelosi, speaker of the House; David Thorne, U.S. ambassador to Italy; Giulio
Terzi, Italy's ambassador the U.S.; Gen.
Raymond Odierno, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq; Drs. Anthony Fauci and Robert
Gallo, the noted AIDS researchers; and a number of U.S. congressmen.
Capt. Anthony Odierno (left) and his father Gen. Raymond Odierno (right) chat with Pres. Bill Clinton
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Also
present that evening was the president of Italy, the Hon. Giorgio Napolitano, who spoke briefly at the beginning of the
evening. He thanked the Sons of Italy
for its "great financial and moral support provided Abruzzi," following the
earthquake that devastated L'Aquila in April, 2009.
Referring
to his meeting with President Obama on May 25, Mr. Napolitano said he realized
"how deeply Italy's commitment to fighting terrorism is appreciated (by the
White House.)." He said that 8,000
Italian troops are now in Kosovo, Lebanon and Afghanistan, where two Italian
military were killed the week before.
Also
honored that evening were Capt. Anthony
Odierno, (U.S. Army, Ret.), who was severely wounded in Iraq; and Lewis Merletti, former director of the
U.S. Secret Service. In presenting his
son with a SIF award for courage and patriotism, Gen. Odierno spoke of Sgt.
John Basilone, the only enlisted man to earn both the Navy Cross and the
Congressional Medal of Honor during World War II. He called the late Marine "a shining example
of what Italian Americans have given this country."
In
accepting his award, Capt. Odierno said "courage and patriotism sometimes go
unrecognized. They are the actions of ordinary
people in extraordinary situations." Capt. Odierno lost an arm serving in Iraq. Today, he is with the New York Yankees and
also serves on the board of the Wounded Warriors Project, which seeks to raise
the public's awareness and seek aid for severely wounded members of the U.S.
armed forces.
Lewis
Merletti received the SIF's most coveted honor, its National Education &
Leadership Award, which gives the gala its name. Past NELA honorees include the poet Dana Gioia, the scientists Anthony Fauci and Robert Gallo, football legend Joe
Paterno, entertainer Annette
Funicello and the U.S. Supreme Court's Antonin
Scalia.
Mr.
Merletti is a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Secret Service and eventually became
its 19th director. A Vietnam
veteran, he now is with the Cleveland Browns. "Whenever I had a difficult decision to make," he said, "I would
remember an inscription I saw at the Naval Academy in Annapolis: 'Not for self
but for country.' That is how I've tried
to live my life because I think each of us has a duty of be committed to this
country."
Also
recognized that evening were 11 young Italian Americans who received the SIF's
national scholarships and will now attend many of America's top universities. The
Master of Ceremonies for the evening was actor Joe Mantegna. Singer Michael
Amante provided entertainment.
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The
SIF is the philanthropic arm of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the
largest and oldest national organization for men and women of Italian heritage
in the United States. Since its founding in 1959, the SIF has donated more than
$110 million to education, medical research, cultural preservation, disaster
relief and other special projects, including $50 million in scholarships.
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Sons of Italy News Bureau
219 E St., NE · Washington, DC 20002
(202) 547-2900 ·(202) 546-8168-fax
www.osia.org |
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