 Merkel did not attend the ceremony, and the award for Tom Little was given to his wife because the winning optometrist had been killed in August while working in Afghanistan.
<clarity>  Merkel did not attend the ceremony, and the award for Tom Little was given to his wife because the winning optometrist had been killed in August while working in Afghanistan.
 Merkel did not attend the ceremony, and the award for was given to his wife because the winning optometrist had been killed in August while working in Afghanistan.