During World War II, he developed mobile army surgical hospitals, or MASH units. He performed the first successful open-heart surgery, one of the first successful heart transplants, pioneered heart-bypass surgery, and designed a way to fix aortic aneurysms, using a polyester sleeve -- sewing the first one himself.
"Recipients of this medal from the world of science are few," President Bush said. "But they are iconic. They include Thomas Edison, Walter Reed and Jonas Salk. Today, we gather to recognize that Dr. DeBakey belongs among them." DeBakey said that "receiving this award my cup runneth over.
"Among the many awards I have received, I must say that I treasure this one the highest. I am deeply grateful for the Congressional Gold Medal because of its meaning," he said. "I am very proud of being a citizen of the United States. I got that prize from my father and mother, who immigrated to the United States from Lebanon. It is the greatest country in this world for individuals who had ambition to do better."
