Army Brigadier General Edward M. Harrington, director of the Defense Contract Management Agency, awarded the Defense of Freedom Medal, the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart, to the families of the Raytheon employees who died in the Sept. 11 tragedy: Peter Gay of Tewksbury, Mass., Stanley Hall of Clifton, Va., David Kovalcin of Hudson, N.H., and Kenneth Waldie of Methuen, Mass., in a ceremony held at Raytheon's Andover, Mass., facility.

Herb Homer, a Defense Contract Management Agency defense corporate executive assigned to Raytheon, was also awarded the Defense of Freedom Medal. The medal, created to recognize and honor civilian employees of the Department of Defense who were killed or wounded during the terrorist attacks, can be awarded to non-Defense employees based on their involvement in DoD activities at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense. "We at DCMA feel that we and our Raytheon partners are all part of the same National Defense Team," said Army Brig. Gen. Harrington.

The ceremony, attended by more than 500 Raytheon employees, remembered and honored the fallen colleagues and their legacy. "We honor their legacy today," said Raytheon Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel P. Burnham in his remarks. "Their families, who are the heart of their circle of joy; their accomplishments, which are manifest in our company and our country; and their love of freedom, which inspires and unites all Americans."

William H. Swanson, president of Raytheon's Electronic Systems business and host of the ceremonies, said, "What makes this day so special is the reason that we are here -- to honor and pay tribute to our own."

In a separate ceremony held yesterday at the company's headquarters in Lexington, Mass., Raytheon unveiled a memorial dedicated to the employees. Also in memory of the four employees, memorial groves of four trees will be planted at eight Electronic Systems locations across the United States.

For complete coverage and additional information, photos and video of the ceremony of the Defense of Freedom presentation to the families of fallen colleagues at Raytheon go to their website.