This slideshow covers the history of and presentation ceremony of the Congressional Gold Medal to the American Fighter Aces. It features General Steve Ritchie, the youngest living ACE and last Air Force Pilot Ace since the Korean War.

1. The Congress of the United States
requests your presence at a
Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
in honor of the
American Fighter Aces
on Wednesday, the twentieth of May
two thousand fifteen
at three o’clock in the afternoon
Emancipation Hall
United States Capitol Visitor Center
Washington, District of Columbia
All guests must have a ticket to gain entry.
This invitation is nontransferable.
Business attire

2. Congressional Gold Medal
A Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States
Congress; the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of
Freedom are the highest civilian awards in the United States. It is awarded
to persons "who have performed an achievement that has an impact on
American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major
achievement in the recipient's field long after the achievement.”
The Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom are generally
considered to carry the same level of prestige (though significantly fewer
Gold Medals have been awarded). The chief difference between the two is
that the Freedom Medal is personally awarded by the President of the
United States, and Congressional Gold Medals are awarded by Acts of
Congress (Congress may authorize the President to present the award).
Per committee rules, legislation bestowing a Congressional Gold Medal upon
a recipient must be co-sponsored by two-thirds of the membership of
both the House of Representatives and the Senate before their respective
committees will consider it.

3. Congressional Gold Medal
A Congressional Gold Medal is designed by the United States Mint
to specifically commemorate the person and achievement for
which the medal is awarded. Medals are therefore different in
appearance, and there is no standard design. Congressional Gold
Medals are considered non-portable, meaning that they are not
meant to be worn on a uniform or other clothing, but rather
displayed.
The Congressional Gold Medal is distinct from the Medal of Honor,
a military decoration for extreme bravery in action, and from the
Congressional Space Medal of Honor, presented by NASA for
extraordinary accomplishment in United States space
exploration.

4.  George Washington
 Major General Ulysses S. Grant
 Cornelius Vanderbilt
 Orville & Wilbur Wright
 Charles Lindbergh
 Thomas Edison
 Howard Hughes
 Doctor Jonas Salk
 Bob Hope
 Douglas MacArthur
Congressional Gold Medal
Recipients have included:
 Walt Disney
 General Colin Powell
 Frank Sinatra
 Ronald and Nancy Reagan
 Tuskegee Airmen
 Neil A. Armstrong
 Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr.
 Michael Collins
 John Herschel Glenn Jr.
 Members of the Doolittle
Tokyo Raiders
 And Others

5. President Barack Obama signs H.R. 685 in the Oval Office. H.R. 685 is the American Fighter Aces
Congressional Gold Medal Act with the presentation of a single congressional gold medal in recognition
of the Aces military service. From back left are Rep. Denny Heck, D-Wash., Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West
Va., Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Fred Dungan, American Fighter Ace, of San Clemente, Calif., Rep.
Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, and Clayton Gross, of Portland, Ore., American Fighter Ace.

12. Speaker John Boehner signs H.R. 685, the American Fighter Aces
Congressional Gold Medal Act, as Rep. Sam Johnson, who sponsored
the House version of the bill looks on

13. Air Force Pilot Fighter Ace General Steve Ritchie Shot
Down Five MiG-21’s During the Vietnam War

15. Sitting next to SR-71 Blackbird Chief Test Pilot Bob Gilliland while
being transported on Military Aircraft to visit the troops in the
Middle East during the “Legends of Aerospace Tour”

16. (front row - left to right) Gene Cernan, Jim Lovell, Neil Armstrong,
Bob Gilliland with Steve Ritchie visiting the troops in Kuwait

17. A Turkish General is excited to meet General
Ritchie. They both had flown F-104
Starfighters during their respective careers

18. Media covered the tour throughout. In Kuwait,
FOX News crews filmed the event and transmitted a
live satellite feed back to the States

19. Signing Endless Autographs for the troops

20. Major John Lewis (386th Air
Expeditionary Wing):
“Having the Legends of
Aerospace crew here was a
once in a lifetime event. I feel
blessed that I was here to see
them. The astronauts are a
testament to why our country
should strive for manned
exploration instead of
automation. Also having a
legend like Gen Ritchie was
awe inspiring since he is able
to understand what the
Airmen and Soldiers are going
through. Overall, this is the
kind of awe inspiring event
that I will remember for my
whole life.”

22. The Fleet Admiral offers up his chair for photo ops. Here
General Ritchie is thrilled by the opportunity.

23. The Gold Medal Ceremony Took
Place in the US Capitol

24. Steve, Mariana and Matt Ritchie
in the Capitol

25. A Military Band sets the Tone for the Gold Medal Ceremony

26. Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate
Minority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

27. Speaker John Boehner opens the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony

28. U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner (L) (R-OH) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell (R) (R-KY) present the Congressional Gold Medal to Lieutenant General Charles G.
Cleveland in recognition of the American Fighter Aces' service to the United States at the U.S.
Capitol May 20, 2015 in Washington, DC. Congress honored the service of the pilots with the
highest civilian honor Congress can bestow.

34. General Ritchie being interviewed on FOX News
immediately after the Gold Medal Ceremony

35. Mariana is also interviewed

36. The Proud Father & Son

37. The U.S. Congress honored the 1,447 U.S. pilots designated as American
Fighter Aces, an exclusive military club composed of members who shot
down at least five hostile aircraft in direct combat, with the Congressional
Gold Medal on May 20 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Air Force Lieutenant General Charles "Chick" Cleveland, American Fighter
Aces Association president, accepted for himself and on behalf of the
other 76 surviving pilots the Congressional Gold Medal, the country's
highest civilian award the Congress can bestow. The U.S. Congress could
only present the medal to those individuals "who have performed an
achievement that has an impact on American culture and history that is
likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient's field long
after the achievement.“
The 87-year-old Cleveland flew 145 war missions in Vietnam and Korea,
shooting down at least five aircraft during a career in which he registered
more than 4,500 flying hours, earning the Ace Pilots title reserved for the
veterans who fought in aerial combat during World War I, World War II,
and the Vietnam and Korean wars.

38. Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Steve Ritchie of Bellevue, 72, left, and retired
Navy commander Clarence Borley of Olympia, 90, were honored.

39. "If there's an elite among fighter pilots, it's these men," Cleveland
addressed an audience of around 500 people, during a ceremony at the
Emancipation Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington, comprised of some three
dozen pilots belonging to a rare breed of fighters.
Congressman Denny Heck, representative of 10th District Washington,
was the original co-sponsor of the American Fighter Aces Congressional
Gold Medal Act, which has honored the pilots with the medal.
Six ace pilots were living in Washington when Congress adopted Heck's
bill, five were veterans from World War II and another a pilot fighter from
the Vietnam War.
The World War II set includes Navy Commander Clarence Borley, Captain
Clayton Kelly Gross, Captain Joe McGraw, Lieutenant Mike Wolf, and
Colonel Arthur Jeffrey. Jeffrey, who took out 14 German aircraft, passed
away in April.

40. Meanwhile, retired Air Force Brigadier
General Steve Ritchie is the youngest of the
American Fighter Aces at 72 years old.
Ritchie flew in an F-4 Phantom jet and
battled North Vietnamese pilots flying MiG-
21 jets. He shot five of his enemies in 1972.
Ritchie was the last pilot fighter to be part of
the group, while the oldest member is 104
years old, according to the American Fighter
Aces Association.
House Speaker John Boehner stated
the brave missions flown by the Fighter
Aces "changed the course of American-
fought wars throughout modern
history. These Fighter Aces risked it all
to defend freedom and democracy
around the world."

41. The Living Fighter Aces who were able to attend the
Congressional Ceremony Assemble for a Group Picture
During a Reception at the National Air & Space Museum

42. It was a Great Honor to witness this
Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony