Freedom Team Salute honors Mickey Rooney

Acting legend Mickey Rooney received a Freedom Team Salute Commendation at a ceremony held on Sunday, May 25, 2008 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The ceremony was held during the National Memorial Day Choral Festival.

Mr. Rooney, who has more than 310 film and television credits to his name, is a proud Veteran of World War II. He received the Bronze Star and the Sharp Shooter Badge with the BAR automatic rifle. Mr. Rooney spent two years in the Army with the 6817th Special Services Battalion, where he was a part of a three-man Jeep show that traveled throughout the front lines in Europe, and was often exposed to enemy gunfire. The actor, now 88, made his acting debut at 15 months of age. He made a string of 50 silent films between 1927 and 1933; however, he is best known for the films he made in the 1940s and 1950s. Mr. Rooney was honored in 1983 with an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Twenty-five years later he is still acting, with roles in four films due out in 2008 and 2009.