John McCain to receive Liberty Medal at Philadelphia ceremony
Former Vice President Joe Biden will make the presentation.
U.S. Sen. John McCain is to receive the Liberty Medal at a ceremony Monday evening at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, who served in the Senate with McCain, will present the medal honoring the six-term Republican senator from Arizona for his "lifetime of sacrifice and service" to the country.
McCain was named recipient of the medal in July before he disclosed that he is being treated for brain cancer.
Before entering politics, McCain served in the U.S. Navy for 22 years and was tortured while a prisoner of war after his plane was shot down over Hanoi during the Vietnam War in 1967. Released in 1973, he returned to the United States and remained in the Navy until 1981, retiring with the rank of captain.
Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, a civil rights hero who has served in Congress since 1987, received last year's medal, while the Dalai Lama was recognized the year prior.
Other recent recipients of the annual award, which was established in 1988, include a range of political figures, activists, and entertainers, including Malala Yousafzai, Hillary Clinton, Muhammad Ali, Steven Spielberg, Mikhail Gorbachev, Tony Blair, and Bono.