• 2011.06.14

    Top Honer Prize

    Hon. Benjamin Gilman

    Chairman, The House Foreign Affairs Committee, UC Congress 15 terms(Republican)
    Assistant Attorney General and Assemblymen of New York State
    World Peace Prize - Top Honor Prize Winner



  • Remarkable Achievements of HON BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

    HON BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, recognized by the World Peace Prize Awarding Council for being a life-long champion of human rights: fighting world hunger, narcotic abuse and trafficking. He has made many successful efforts to bring about "prisoner exchanges" which resulted in freedom of American citizens in East Germany, Mozambique, Cuba and several other nations. Congressman Gilman served 15 terms (30 years) in the U.S. Congress. Prior to that, he served 6 years in the New York State Legislature as Assemblyman, and several years as Assistant Attorney General in the New York State Department of Law. While in Congress, he has served as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as Congressional delegate to the United Nations with title of Ambassador, and later the Ukrainian Famine Commission and Vice Chairman of the committee on POW`s. Mr. Gilman has been the recipients of  numerous honors including the President`s Certificate of Outstanding Achievement "for continued, demonstrated vision, initiative, and leadership in the effort to achieve a world without hunger" and has annually received the "Peace Through Strength" Award presented by the American Security Council.

    ROVING AMBASSADOR FOR PEACE
    Roving Ambassador of Peace is awarded to individuals or group who are guardians of Peace. Today, the award is presented to the Civil Air Patrol.



    Remarks by Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman 
    at 
    International Evangelical World Peace Corps Mission 
    World Peace Prize 2010 Presentation
    June 14, 2011
    The Gold Room, Room 2168, Rayburn House Office Building


    Thank you, Chairman, former Congressman Lester Wolff and World Peace Prize Chief Judge for your kind introduction and for this honor and privilege of being nominated for the International Evangelical World Peace Corps 2010 World Peace Prize.  

    Thank you Executive Director, Dr. Han Min Su, Chairman of the World Peace Prize Awarding Council and President of the Korea Unification Preparatory Council and Dr. Suzi Leggett, Staff Director and Advisor to the former Speaker of Congress.  

    My congratulations to my fellow awardee, His Holiness, Dorje Chang Buddha III.  

    Georgia and I whole-heartedly thank you and your Evangelical leadership for hosting all of us today, all of our friends, our family, our Congressional colleagues, and our distinguished guests and for Father Sean McManus, Chairman of the Irish National Caucus, for his kind blessings.

    Georgia and I whole-heartedly thank the Evangelical leadership for hosting and want you all to know just how much we appreciate all of you taking the time from your busy schedules to share this afternoon’s World Peace Prize award reception with us.

    We express our thanks to my assistant, Ashton Kunkle, and to the Evangelical’s Assistant, Nicole Wong, and to Dr. Suzi Leggett for all of their work in bringing us together for this gracious event.

    Permit me to take this opportunity to especially welcome and introduce my immediate family, all of whom have weathered my many absences during my many global missions and who, on many occasions, have joined with me in our global and Congressional missions, and who stood by my side and assisted me in more than 15 Congressional election campaigns and State Legislative elections:

     My dear wife, our Gilman Group’s Vice Chairman and my campaign advisor and treasurer, Georgia Gilman.

     My devoted children: 
    o  Susan Gilman-Harts of New York’s Bedford Hills in Westchester County.
    o  Susan’s children and our beloved grand-children Eleni Gilman-Harts and Samuel Gilman-Harts.  

     And our son, Jonathan Gilman of Lambertville, New Jersey and his son, Nicholas, our grandson.

    It has been this loving family who has helped me overcome many challenges and accomplishments.

    As Georgia and I and our family look back over our many years of public service for six years in the New York State Government and for thirty years in the Congress, we have considered it an honor and a privilege to have been able to serve and assist our friends, our neighbors, our constituents, our State, our Nation, and many countries throughout the world in working for peace, for justice, for freedom, compassion, and tolerance.

    And that is why, today, I am truly honored and privileged to accept this 2010 Evangelical World Peace Prize, before all of my family and all of you, our many friends, former constituents, and my former colleagues who have joined us today.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you and God bless all of you and God bless America!