A Lees Summit man has earned a congressional Gold Medal award for service.

Corey Austin Daughenbaugh, 23, is one of 276 gold medalists recognized nationally in Washington, D.C. for achievements in four areas - physical fitness, voluntary public service, personal development, and expedition or exploration.

Daughenbaugh, who is a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force, graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2011, and was sent directly to St. Johns College in New Mexico to start and complete a Masters Degree. After finishing this August he intends to return to regular duty with plans to teach in the Philosophy Department of the Air Force Academy sometime in the future.

The minimum requirements for completing the Gold Level Medal requirements are the following: a minimum of 200 hours of personal development, 200 hrs of physical fitness activities, 400 hrs of voluntary public service, an expedition consisting of at least four consecutive nights, and a minimum of 24 months work in progress.

Daughenbaugh said he completed 212 hours of personal develop in a variety of leadership or management roles in the Boy Scouts, Air Force Junior ROTC (at Lees Summit North HS), Missouri Boys State, and Civil Air Patrol. For public service volunteer service included ime with the Boy Scouts, Food for the Poor (we worked in Kansas City primarily), AFJROTC, the Mid-Continent Public Library, the Elks Club, Lees Summit Public Works Day, and the Lees Summit Social Services.

He was unable to attend the June ceremony which had CNNs Wolf Blitzer and Thomas P. McDevitt, president of the Washington Times, sharing duties as masters of ceremonies and entertainment by Earth Wind and Fire.

The award is funded by charitable foundations.

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Daughenbaugh receives congressional Gold Medal