Presidential Medal of Freedom 
noun
(In the US) a medal constituting the highest award that can be given to a civilian in peacetime.In 1996, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded to civilians making outstanding contributions to American life....
- In 2000, Taylor was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award, by President Bill Clinton, for whom he delivered the sermon for the Inaugural Prayer Service in 1993.
- Less than two months before his death, President Bush awarded him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.