Blake Hall
An ordinary Wednesday night in Arlington, Virginia became extraordinary when a whole slew of big names gathered at the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore 33rd Annual Awards dinner.
Among those honored were 30 Medal of Honor recipients along with Denver Broncos quarterback and fine commercial actor Peyton Manning, former Fleetwood Mac songstress Stevie Nicks, Restrepo and The Perfect Storm writer Sebastian Junger, and many others.
While it’s quite obvious why the military veterans were honored, the celebrities received awards for supporting the troops and donating their time, both in the United States or overseas.
“I really had a life-changing experience on my USO tour two years ago,” Peyton Manning said. “Just how they’re protecting our freedom, their service to our country, [it’s] very inspiring and I’m really glad that I took the trip.”
Manning traveled to Europe and the Persian Gulf in 2013.