2007 Freedom Flame Award: Ray Kelly

On June 19 the Center in New York held its Fifth Annual Regents Dinner at the Union League Club in New York City. The Board of Regents paid tribute to the splendid contribution of Commissioner Ray Kelly and the NYPD to the safety and security of both the city and the nation by presenting Commissioner Kelly with the Center’s Freedom Flame Award.

Former recipients of this award include Margaret Thatcher, Senator Fred Thompson and Ambassador John Bolton. This year – for the first time – the award was given to a native New Yorker.

In the presence of over 240 guests, including Deputy Commissioner David Cohen and Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne and other distinguished leaders of the department, Center President Frank Gaffney saluted the transformation of the NYPD following the 9/11 attacks.

Frank Gaffney acknowledged that while New York City may continue to be – as it was in September 2001 – the most tempting terror target in the US, the difference is that it has now also become the best prepared.   Intelligence-led policing has resulted in the commitment of the city’s police force to “first prevention” as opposed to first response as it engages on the front lines in the war against Islamists.   In this way, Commissioner Kelly and his leadership team have become the “special forces” in the world of law enforcement, thereby keeping our citizens safe against the twin threats of global and domestic terror. Kelly has also exemplified the spirit of cooperation with federal, state and local authorities. In the course of his introduction, the Center’s President recognized the contribution made by the FBI and New York State.

In his speech, Commissioner Kelly spoke of the vigilance required of the NYPD to ensure the safety of New Yorkers and the nation, as well as the commitment to reach out to the whole community, most especially moderate Muslim New Yorkers, in the struggle against terrorism.

The presentation to Commissioner Kelly was preceded by the Center’s own founder Regent, David L. Luke III, presenting the Center’s Sacred Honor Award to fellow Founder Regent, Eugene M. Grant.   This award is given in recognition of those who through their dedicated support, financial and otherwise, enable the Center to fulfill its mission and programs. This presentation, involving two individuals of the “greatest generation,” provided some of the most moving moments of the evening. As David Luke reminded the audience, the most important thing to remember about those in his generation who served in World War II is how they all recognized that our nation’s enemies represented a “clear and present danger,” not only to the United States but also to the whole free world. In his acceptance speech, Gene Grant echoed this theme, with particular reference to the perils we face today posed by the global threat of militant Islam, an enemy every bit as ruthless as the Nazis and Imperial Japan that he and David faces so many years ago.

The evening was greatly enlivened by the wonderful entertainment provided by the choir of the Dexter Allgood Singers, whose lively rendition of The Battle of Jericho and America the Beautiful nearly brought down the house. The presence of this wonderful group of singers was made possible by Veronica Kelly and the work of her wonderful foundation, the September Concert, whose mission it is to fill the world with music every September 11.

Miles Prentice, Chairman of the Board of Regents, brought this memorable evening to a close by thanking the organizations and institutions, such as the Manhattan Institute and the Hudson Institute whose generous welcome and support, had made the growth of the Center in New York possible.   He reminded the audience that the first Annual Regents dinner had 60 guests, many of whom were present on this fifth anniversary, and the Center owed so much of its success to the kindness not of strangers, but of friends, who shared the Center’s commitment to preserving America’s values and the freedoms, which we all cherish.