bill foege. as a young medical missionary working in nigeria, bill helped develop a vaccination strategy that would later be used to eliminate smallpox from the face of the earth. and when that war was won, he moved on to other diseases, always trying to figure out what works. in one remote nigerian village, after vaccinating 2,000 people in a single day, bill asked the local chief how he had gotten so many people to show up. and the chief explained that he had told everyone to come see -- to "come to the village and see the tallest man in the world." today, that world owes that really tall man a great debt of gratitude. on the morning that john glenn blasted off into space, america stood still. and for half an hour, the phones stopped ringing in chicago police headquarters, and new york subway drivers offered a play-by-play account over the loudspeakers. president kennedy interrupted a breakfast with congressional leaders and joined 100 million tv viewers to hear the famous words, "godspeed, john

[applause] [the medal is presented] >> bill foege. >> he is pretty tall. [laughter] >> a distinguished physician and epidemiologist, bill foege helped lead a campaign to eradicate smallpox that stands among medicine's greatest success stories. at the centers for disease control and prevention, the carter center, and the bill and melinda gates foundation, he has taken on humanity's most intractable public health challenges from infectious diseases to child survival and development. bill foege has driven decades of progress to safeguard the well- being of all, and he has inspired a generation of leaders in the fight for a healthier world. [applause] [the medal is presented] john glenn has set a peerless example through his service to our nation. as a marine corps pilot and the first american to orbit the earth, he sparked our passions for ingenuity and adventure and lifted humanity's ambitions into the expanses of space. in the united states senate, he worked tirelessly to ensure all americans had the opportunity to reach for limitless dreams. whether by adv

bill foege. as a young medical missionary working in nigeria, bill helped develop a vaccination strategy that would later be used to eliminate smallpox from the face of the earth. and when that war was won, he moved on to other diseases, always trying to figure out what works. in one remote nigerian village, after vaccinating 2,000 people in a single day, bill asked the local chief how he had gotten so many people to show up. and the chief explained that he had told everyone to come see -- to "come to the village and see the tallest man in the world." today, that world owes that really tall man a great debt of gratitude. on the morning that john glenn blasted off into space, america stood still. and for half an hour, the phones stopped ringing in chicago police headquarters, and new york subway drivers offered a play-by-play account over the loudspeakers. president kennedy interrupted a breakfast with congressional leaders and joined 100 million tv viewers to hear the famous words, "godspeed, john