Shutdown 'lawnmower man' honored with a new chainsaw

Remember Chris Cox, the South Carolina man whose hard work and selfless character attracted massive attention during the recent government shutdown? The bearded man pushing a lawnmower around the Lincoln Memorial became a national hero and received a warm welcome when he returned to D.C. Wednesday to be honored by an appreciative crowd.

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Via WaPo:

On Wednesday afternoon, Cox returned to the hallowed site of his rogue yard-care, where a power equipment retailer and executives from a fundraising Web site recognized his service by presenting him with a chain saw.

“It’s an honor to be able to present Chris with this chain saw,” said Belmont Power Equipment’s Robert Hill of the Stihl MS 660, which retails for approximately $1,200.

“I didn’t set out to get this chain saw,” said Cox, 45, accepting the saw on the steps not far from where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. “But I’m flattered.”

Cox also received $1,701 in cash donations from Crowd it Forward to help build his Memorial Militia, "a network of volunteers who take to the homes and yards of infirm veterans and perform random acts of lawn mowing, brush-clearing, tree-trimming and leaf-blowing."  According to the Post, an estimated 1,800 people across the country have already volunteered for the effort.

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