COLUMBUS (WCMH) – State lawmakers are working to honor John and Annie Glenn with the Congressional Gold Medal. A new resolution had its first airing in the Ohio House Tuesday.
Inside the statehouse, the legislature made a statement urging Congress to act and award Annie and John Glenn with the medals.
“The Glenn family’s contributions to Ohio and the world deserve the utmost recognition from this legislature and the US Congress,” said Nickie Antonio during Tuesday’s hearing.
State Representative Nickie Antonio sponsored testimony for a House resolution that will honor Annie and John Glenn by asking the US Congress to award the two with Congressional Gold Medals.
The original legislation mistakenly sought a Congressional Medal of Honor, a military recognition. The sponsor says that will be changed to a Congressional Gold Medal.
“Those medals are given to people across the United States for incredible service to their country, to their communities and certainly John and Annie Glenn have served as wonderful role models and have been inspirational in their service to both Ohio as well as the United States and the world,” says Nickie Antonio, Representative for Ohio District 13.
Dale Butland, a senior aide to John Glenn for 20 years says the couple deserves this honor, “Well I can’t think of anyone who’s more deserving of this honor than John Glenn. He was a war hero, the first American to orbit the Earth and the only four-term US Senator in the state’s history. His courage, his patriotism and his decency inspired generations of Ohioans. Anyone who knew the Glenns know that you can’t think of John without thinking of Annie – they were a team from the very beginning. They were married for over 70 years. They had a true storybook marriage. John and Annie were partners in every sense of the word and I can’t think of a more fitting honor for Annie too.”
“I think it’s long past due that we recognize them as a team together,” said Antonio.
“John Glenn was a true giant who made all the rest of us stand a little taller,” said Butland.The Associated Press contributed to this story.