AWARDS
Citizen SEAL Award recipient, Jon McNaughton
Jon McNaughton is an established artist from Utah whose new paintings have attracted the international attention of millions over the last few years. Highly detailed religious and patriotic subjects are the focus of his paintings. The artist’s experiences and faith are the inspiration for his work.
“I have traveled to many places around the world to know my subjects, but when I work on a painting with many figures I will usually pose models and photograph them and then paint them as I see them in my mind. I choose to paint from the heart and evoke my personal vision into each painting.”
I prefer to paint pictures that I believe have relevance to what is going on in the world, that make a statement, that stand for something. I hope people will study the paintings and try to understand the deeper meaning. Some of the themes are controversial, but I feel strongly about what is happening in our world today. There are three kinds of people who view my paintings: Those who like it, those who hate it, and those who simply don’t understand. I am especially interested in this last category. I hope my work will create conversation and reach people on a deeper level. I like to use metaphor and multiple levels of meaning to reach my viewer. If it makes them think and feel, then it is successful.”
Freedom Fighter Award recipient, Jason Redman
Former Lieutenant Jason Redman spent eleven years as an enlisted Navy SEAL and ten years as a SEAL Officer. On September 13, 2007, outside of Fallujah, Iraq, LT Redman’s Assault Team came under heavy machine gun and small arms fire, and he was severely wounded in the ensuing firefight. While recovering at Bethesda Naval Medical Center, LT Redman wrote and hung a bright orange sign on his door, which became a statement and symbol for wounded warriors everywhere. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, the Purple Heart, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Combat Action Ribbons and the US Army Ranger tab along with numerous other personal and unit awards. LT Redman is the author of The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader, which details lessons learned in leadership and overcoming adversity throughout his Navy SEAL career, his service in Afghanistan and Iraq and his personal journey with his wife Erica and their three children.
Redman retired from the Navy in 2013, and founded Wounded Wear, a Non-Profit organization which supports combat wounded warriors and families of the fallen. In 2014, Redman founded SOF Spoken, a speaking company which focuses on leadership, teamwork, and overcoming adversity for businesses, first responders, sports teams, and government organizations.
Freedom Film Award recipient, Scott McEwen
Scott McEwen is the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Chris Kyle’s autobiography, American Sniper, which was made into the highest grossing war film of all time, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper.
He is the coauthor, with Thomas Koloniar, of the national bestselling Sniper Elite series: One-Way Trip, Target America, and The Sniper and the Wolf. A trial attorney in San Diego, California, McEwen works with and provides support for several military charitable organizations, including The Navy SEAL Foundation.
Freedom Enterprise Award to Jim Click, Jr.
Jim Click Sr. once told his son, “There’s no shortcuts to success. There’s no substitute for hard work. Remember this."
Jim Click Jr. came to Tucson in 1971 and turned the former Pueblo Ford into one of the Southwest's largest Ford dealerships, now Jim Click Ford Lincoln. With lots of hard work, over 40 years later, the Jim Click Automotive Team consists of 10 dealerships throughout Southern Arizona.