Musial awarded the highest civilian honor

Stan Musial, the greatest Cardinal to ever live, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The medal is the highest honor that can be awarded to a non-military citizen. The award has been given to people from fields including (but not limited to) military, activism, politics, religion, and athletics.

The award dates back to 1945, when it was established by President Harry S Truman to award those who contributed towards the WWII efforts. The awards were originally meant to be a one time thing, only for WWII contributors, but the award was reborn under the authorization of President John F. Kennedy.

Some of the recipients include- Nancy Reagan, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Bill Cosby, Andy Griffith, Muhammed Ali, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, and Ted Williams.

Musial received the award from President Barack Obama, as the President is only one who can give out the award. Musial is an iconic figure to the St. Louis community; he was always a class act in the dugout, on the field, and towards other people. He was very accepting of baseball's integration, even though he played in a era where that was not such a popular decision among many white players. 

The statue of Stan Musial outside of Busch Stadium claims that he is baseball's perfect warrior; but outside of baseball he has always, and will be forever, known as St. Louis' perfect icon. Musial received the award just in time for his 90th birthday, which will be on November 21st, 2010.