Joe Foss Institute Announces Honorees for 2013 Stars in Service Event

Special Guest Richard Dreyfuss to Keynote April 7 Event at Arizona Biltmore

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Joe Foss Institute (JFI) announced the honorees for its 2013 Stars in Service event being held on Sunday, April 7, at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. The four honorees include:

Joe Mantegna, 2013 Patriotism Award Honoree
LTG William Boykin (ret.), 2013 Military Service Award Honoree
Allen West, 2013 Public Service Award Honoree 
Mike Ingram, 2013 JFI Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree

"We are very proud to be able to honor these four remarkable individuals at this year's Stars in Service event," said JFI President & CEO Lucian Spataro, Jr. "Each represents in their own unique ways the ideals that JFI promotes to our nation's youth – patriotism, integrity, public service and character."

Event speakers and presenters include: Keynote speaker Richard Dreyfuss, Governor Mike Huckabee, Gary Sinise and Foster Friess.

The Stars in Service event is designed to highlight JIF's programs and work to educate our nation's youth about the importance of America's unique freedoms and history. In addition to honoring these remarkable individuals, attendees will be hearing from keynote speaker, Academy Award-WInning actor Richard Dreyfuss, founder of the Dreyfuss Initiative, a nationwide effort to bring back civics to our American youth.

"The United States needs a lesson in civics," said American Activist and Academy Award-Winning actor Richard Dreyfuss, founder of the Dreyfuss Initiative. "We must teach our kids how to run our country, before they are called upon to run our country. If we don't, someone else will run the country."

"Serving your country can come in many forms – from military service to holding an elected office to volunteering at your local school or community center," explained 2013 Military Service Honoree LTG William Boykin. "Giving back is one of the ideals that make the United States such a wonderful country and I am proud to work with the Joe Foss Institute to show our nation's children how they can give back even at any age."

Honoree Information:

Joe Mantegna – 2013 Patriotism Award Honoree

Joe Mantegna is an award-winning, world-class actor with more than 40 years in show business.   Mantegna has more than 100 films to his credit and is no stranger to television, currently staring as David Rossi on the hit series Criminal Minds. 

With a rich family history in the military, including five Uncles (two of which were Marines) and a father in-law who all served and returned from WWII, Mantegna has always been a supporter of our men and women who serve. In fact, at Mantegna's request, the character he currently plays on Criminal Minds is a former Marine. In 2005, Mantegna was appointed the Honorary Chairman for The Salute to Hospitalized Veterans and routinely lends his time to charities that benefit our military, their families and the USO.  For the past 10 years he has participated in the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington, .D.C., co-hosting with Gary Sinise for most of that time and now is the Consulting Producer of the show. 

LTG William Boykin (ret.) – 2013 Military Service Award Honoree

Former Delta Force commander and Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Lt. General William "Jerry" Boykin (Ret) was one of the elite warriors chosen in 1978 to make up the first unit in America's Delta Force.  He then become commander of the unit, and later still, commander of all U.S. Army Special Forces.  His nearly four decades of military service included a tour at the CIA and clandestine missions around the world.  Boykin has played a role in almost every major American military operation over the past four decades, including Grenada, Somalia and Iraq.

Currently, he teaches at Hampden-Sydney College and is executive vice president at Family Research Council.  Boykin is the author of Never Surrender: A Soldier's Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom; Danger Close: A Novel; and Kiloton Threat: A Novel.

Allen West – 2013 Public Service Award Honoree

Lieutenant Colonel Allen West joined the Army in 1982 and served 22 years.  During that time, he was deployed to Iraq during the Gulf War and participated in Desert Shield and Desert Storm.  In 1993 he was named ROTC Instructor of the Year. After retiring Allen continued his path of public service and was elected to the House of Representatives in 2010, serving on the Armed Services and Small Business Committees.

In January 2013, he joined PJ Media as the Director of Next Generation Programming where he is leading the effort to develop new Internet TV shows.

Mike Ingram – 2013 JFI Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree

Mike Ingram is a self-made entrepreneur and philanthropist.  He founded El Dorado Holdings, Inc. in 1987 with a staff of one and a single escrow property south of Phoenix. That property was the catalyst for growing a network of investors and land holdings. 

Passionate about giving back to his community and his country, Ingram has raised millions of dollars for the causes he holds close. He serves on the boards of the Arizona Commerce Authority, Arizona-Mexico Commission, Barrow Neurological Foundation (Emeritus), Translational Genomics Research Institute Foundation, C.M. Russell Museum, Shikar Safari Club International Foundation and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. He is one of the owners of the Arizona Diamondbacks, a Major League Baseball team. Ingram's greatest passion is the Joe Foss Institute, where he serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Created by Joe and his wife Didi before his death, the Joe Foss Institute is a 501 (C)(3) educational organization dedicated to educating our nation's youth about patriotism, public service, integrity and an appreciation for America's unique freedoms and history. Through in-class presentations by our nation's Veterans, curriculum resources, and scholarship programs, JFI works with schools and youth organizations to address the crisis in civic education across the country.

CONTACT: Andrew LeFevre 
480-745-8237 
[email protected]

SOURCE Joe Foss Institute