President Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Maya Lin. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Maya Lin, the artist who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama on Nov. 22.
The nation’s highest civilian honor is presented each year to those who “have made especially meritorious contributions.”
Lin, whose parents are from China, told NBC News she was “speechless and so very, very honored.” She also received the National Medal of the Arts from Obama in 2009.
Lin was among the 21 Medal of Freedom recipients this year — along with Bill and Melinda Gates, Ellen DeGeneres, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.