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Mattis selected to receive Foley Distinguished Public Service award

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and four–star Marine Corps General James Mattis will be the inaugural recipient of the Thomas S. Foley Award for Distinguished Public Service. The new award will be given annually by the Foley Institute to individuals who have demonstrated integrity, courage and a commitment to democratic values in public service, according to a news release.

Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969 and participated in tours in Afghanistan and Iraq before retiring from active service in 2013. He served as U.S. Secretary of Defense from 2017 to 2019 under President Donald Trump before resigning his post in protest when Trump announced he would pull U.S. forces out of Syria.

“We wanted somebody with a national reputation, whose life was dedicated to public service, but we also wanted somebody like Tom Foley with local roots to be the inaugural recipient,” said Foley Institute Director Cornell Clayton. “Mattis not only has local roots, but dedicated his entire career to public service and personified the values of Foley and the Foley Institute, courage, bipartisanship, integrity and honor.”

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The Spokesman-Review
WSU Insider