SAN PEDRO, Calif., Oct. 12, 2022 – The National Museum of the Surface Navy at the Battleship IOWA, the museum for America’s Surface Navy located aboard  the historic Battleship USS IOWA Museum, today announced the recipients of its 2022 Freedom of the Seas Awards. The awards will be presented at the second annual Freedom of the Seas Awards event aboard the iconic Battleship IOWA in San Pedro, on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022.

Held in honor of the Battle of Leyte Gulf anniversary, the largest naval battle of World War II, the Freedom of the Seas Awards honor those individuals and organizations that embody the core principles of the American Surface Navy’s mission to protect and defend our oceans for the benefit of the free world.

Freedom of the Seas Award - Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will receive the 2022 Freedom of the Seas Award, which is presented to an accomplished individual who embodies the core principles of the American Surface Navy to protect and defend our oceans for the benefit of the free world.

Secretary Vilsack is spearheading a transformation of the food system to ensure that the food system of today and the future is more resilient and more competitive globally. Under his leadership, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine are working together to enhance coordination between the U.S. and Ukrainian agriculture and food sectors to build a strategic partnership to address food insecurity.

Other award winners include:

• VADM Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. Award: Retired Rear Admiral (RADM) Sinclair Harris
• Humanitarian Award: Jim Zenner, who helped create the Los Angeles Country Veterans Peer Access Network (VPAN)
• Commerce and Communications Award: California Trucking Association (CTA)

To learn about all award winners and read the entire press release, click the button below.

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