The NCAA Honors Committee named Emily Perez of the U.S. Military Academy and Doug Zembiec of the U.S. Naval Academy both of whom died in action as recipients of the 2008 Award of Valor. The committee also selected Yale University James MacLauren as the 2008 Inspiration Award winner.

The Award of Valor is presented to a current or former coach, administrator or varsity letter-winner who when confronted with a situation involving personal danger averted or minimized potential disaster by courageous action or noteworthy bravery. For members of the armed forces to be considered, the action must clearly be above and beyond the call of duty and so recognized by the appropriate military command.

The Inspiration Award is presented to a current or former coach, administrator or varsity letter-winner who when confronted with a life-altering situation used perseverance, dedication and determination to overcome the event and now serves as a role model to inspire others in similar situations.

Neither award is automatically presented annually.

The three recipients will be recognized during the 2008 Honors Celebration in January at the NCAA Convention in Nashville.

Following are summaries of their actions.

Perez
A gifted track and field student-athlete at Army, Perez was an equally accomplished leader, according to Jonathan Smidt, athletics chief of staff. She was the first ethnic minority woman to be named command sergeant major of the Corps of Cadets at Army, a position that put her in charge of enforcing discipline for more than 4,000 cadets.

After graduating in 2005 with a degree in sociology, Perez was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the medical services corps and deployed to Iraq in December. She served as a treatment platoon leader, battalion public affairs officer, officer in charge of reconnaissance and a convoy commander. She visited every camp with which her unit was involved, a total of 10 locations throughout Iraq. Although it was rare for a young officer to be assigned so many responsibilities, commanders said she knew her job and performed it exceptionally well.

Perez was on a mission when an improvised explosive device exploded near her vehicle. She died September 12, 2006, in Al Kifl, Iraq. Her unit recognized her memory in multiple ways. A street at the Forward Operating Base Duke was named mily Wayand the treatment facility at the base also has been named in her honor.

Smidt said the decision to recognize Perez by naming both a street and treatment facility after her reflects the type of passion she inspired in others. He believes one lesson that others can take away from her life is to be courageous.

ace your fear. You lead from the front, even if you don feel like it. In her case, she made it look easy, but I know most of us struggle sometimes with the mantle of leadership and stepping up every time. But she stepped up every time. That something we can all aspire to regardless of the circumstances./span>

Zembiec

Former Navy wrestling coach Reginald Wicks nicknamed Zembiec he Snake.br> oug was very strong on his feet in a neutral position and he would circle around and strike at an opponent ankles. Once he got in, he kept sucking them in until he got the two points. He was really quick at it,Wicks recalled.

Similarly, Zembiec wrestling career got off to a slow start as a freshman, Wicks said, but he went on to become an all-American and compile a career mark of 91-25-1 through hard work and dedication, the same characteristics he demonstrated as a soldier. Zembiec, a 1995 graduate and political science major at Navy, was a major in the Marines when he was killed outside of Baghdad in May of this year.

Nearly 1,000 people attended Zembiec funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, including generals and fellow soldiers. One of the stories told about the former commander occurred in 2004. Then a captain, Zembiec and other soldiers were on a rooftop in Fallujah, under fire from AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. After trying unsuccessfully to radio for assistance from a tank below, Zembiec raced to the street and climbed into the tank, while the enemy continued to shoot, and instructed the tank where to fire. Similar actions, one corporal said in a Washington Post story recounting Zembiec heroism and burial, are typically carried out by enlisted men, not captains, which are fewer in number.

But leading by example was Zembiec mode of operation, according to Wicks, who said the Award of Valor is an appropriate honor for the fallen soldier, his parents, wife and daughter.

e was totally committed to his goals in life and freedom for the country. He loved what he was doing,Wicks said. e definitely a hero and deserves the recognition. But he missed by a lot of people./span>

Zembiec was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism.

MacLaren

MacLaren established a philanthropic organization two years ago called hoose Livingthat benefits those in need through inspiration, compassion and accessibility, and provides children, adults and families with the tools to help them engage life at every level.

If anyone knows about choosing to live, it is MacLaren. Weeks after graduating from Yale in 1985, MacLaren, a football and lacrosse standout and a theatre studies major, was leaving a rehearsal in New York when his motorcycle was broadsided by a city bus. Although initially diagnosed as dead on arrival at the hospital, MacLaren was comatose, but stabilized, after 18 hours of surgery. Doctors also amputated his left leg below the knee. MacLaren awakened from the coma determined to rehabilitate his body. Eventually, he resumed his athletics pursuits, this time as a tri-athlete.
never entered triathlons to compete. It was just to see what I could do,MacLaren said.
As it turns out, there was a lot he could do. MacLaren went on to become the amputee world record-holder in the Boston, Los Angeles and Hamburg marathons and in the Ironman competition in Hawaii.

However, MacLaren life took another dark turn on June 6, 1993, when he collided with a van two miles into the bike leg of a triathlon in California. The impact hurled him into a signpost and he broke his neck at the C5 vertebrae. The accident left him paralyzed from the neck down and in a wheelchair.

The road to recovery was far tougher this time. But MacLaren once again battled back to reclaim some motor function of his limbs even though doctors said he would not regain movement below his neck.

MacLaren currently is a motivational speaker and has started a doctorate in mythology and depth psychology. The Choose Living foundation supports multiple organizations including the Challenged Athletes Foundation; Camp Good Days and Special Times, the nation largest cancer camp for children; and efforts to assists disabled people in Ghana and around the world.
MacLaren said he honored by being named as an NCAA Inspiration Award winner, but he doesn feel special.

feel like I a 44-year-old work in progress,he said. honored because this award stands for more than being an athlete./span>