1. Explain why your nominee should receive the Citizens Medal based on the criteria outlined here.

Bradley Manning is a great patriot and champion of truth and justice. His service to the United States — and indeed to the world — is beyond merely exemplary; it is extraordinary and inspirational.

Pve. Manning is the boldest, bravest news source of the past 40 years. As a journalist since 1977, I can attest to rarity of his courage in exposing misdeeds and war crimes. Instead of being honored for his brave actions, he has been persecuted, kept in prison for almost three years before a trial began, and vilified by his government and many media.

Yet he has become a symbol of democracy both here and around the globe, and his actions have informed debate on governance, the role of media, and transparency in government and military operations that is absolutely necessary for democracy to flourish.

2. Describe the impact that your nominee’s service has had on individuals and/or communities.
Bradley Manning sought, in his words, to “spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy in general as well as it related to Iraq and Afghanistan.” He succeeded in this, and he should be part of those conversations instead of being locked in prison.

In Tunisia and other Middle Eastern nations, his revelations helped to inspire democratic populist uprisings against tyrannical governments.

In my own family, town, professions of journalism and higher education, and larger community, we are continuing the discourse that his actions spurred.