As a 24-year-old college student returning home for a visit in 1994, Immaculee Ilibagiza just wanted to celebrate Easter with her family. She had never seen a grandparent die in her family; everyone had had a long life. Three months later, her parents, grandparents and two brothers were dead -- murdered.

"As time went on, we lost weight, so it was much easier to fit it," she said.

In the following 91 days, the refugees were sheltered from frequent searches by a large bureau blocking the door. At one point, Hutus searched the home for two hours looking in every imaginable place. As Ilibagiza prayed, "If you are there, don't let them find us," suitcases, beds and even the ceiling were searched for refugees. But as a Hutu approached the bathroom door where the women hid, he suddenly turned back and told the minister he trusted him to not harbor Tutsis.

When Ilibagiza emerged 50 pounds lighter from her shelter, her family had been murdered. She relied on her hope and faith in God to overcome anger and hatred and forgive her family's murderer. In the first weeks in hiding, she wanted to be like Rambo and kill everyone who was killing the Tutsis. As time went on, she tried to understand the killers and realized they could not possibly understand the consequences of what they did.

"Forgiving starts with understanding," she said.

Today, she lives in Long Island, New York, and has various speaking engagements, donating the proceeds to African orphans.

Warner said Ilibagiza was honored because of her dedication and faith in God and the way she has used that faith to change her life and those of others.

"She had some extremely special spiritual experiences when she was in that bathroom for three months," he said.

Ilibagiza was honored in Wednesday night's Freedom Festival Awards Gala, along with Jack Thompson, Bill Farley and Brian Shul.

Thompson was honored for his commitment to fighting obscenity in the media. He was inspired by a nurse who worked around the clock to save one dying baby. He decided that he, too, could fight to help others, even if it put him in harm's way.

Warner said Thompson was selected for the award because of his dedication to the freedom of families through working to get obscenity out of the media. Thompson put his own career at risk fighting to keep indecent shows off the radio, and he was responsible for getting Howard Stern off public airwaves. He also won a case labeling 2 Live Crew's lyrics as obscene and convinced Time Warner to remove Ice T's song "Cop Killer" from stores worldwide.

Thompson said he was grateful for the Freedom Award and what it means for his road of hard work against indecency.

"What I'd like to do now, right now, is encourage you," he said. "Because this night encourages me."

Farley was recognized Wednesday for his example of the free enterprise system in the United States. Farley grew up in humble circumstances in Pawtucket, R.I., and later excelled in college and the business world. He also previously received the Horatio Alger Award for his perseverance over adversity in life.

"I really sometimes pinch myself and say, 'I am, you are, the beneficiary of this country,' " he said.

Retired Air Force Major Brian Shul is a man who nearly gave his life serving his country. An Air Force pilot in Vietnam, Shul's AT-28 aircraft was shot down near the Cambodian border.

Witnesses believed he had died in the fiery crash, and Shul was later discovered by Special Forces and flown to a Thailand hospital. One man who stood over him trying to bring in a helicopter to rescue him even pointed an M-16 at an Army helicopter whose pilot said he could not land in the area. The serviceman replied, "You put it down, or we'll shoot it down."

"The real heroes, if you want heroes, were the ones that rescued me," Shul said.

Doctors believed he would succumb to his injuries, but Shul left a Texas hospital a year later after 15 surgeries and skin grafts on 40 percent of his body.

Despite his injuries, Shul went through a rigorous physical therapy regime during his time in the hospital, and he was back in the cockpit two days after his release. Before his retirement in 1990, Shul went on to fly the world's fastest, highest flying jet -- the SR-71 Blackbird. Shul passed the physical requirements for the elite spy plane group without a single waiver.

"It's a privilege to serve," Shul said. "It's a privilege, you don't have to thank me."