Nunn received the Lone Sailor Award at the annual awards dinner on September 17, 2014, at the National Building Museum. The award is given to veterans who have excelled in their civilian careers while serving as examples of the Navy’s core values of honor, courage, and commitment.

Nunn attended Georgia Tech and Emory University to study law before serving in the United States Coast Guard. He returned after active duty service to spend six years in the Coast Guard Reserve while practicing law. His political career began in 1968, when he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives.

In 2011, Nunn became the inaugural recipient of the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage. The Prize recognizes individuals who stand up for moral principles and positively affect public discourse at the risk of their careers, livelihoods, and sometimes lives. This year’s recipient, prominent human rights attorney Beatrice Mtetwa, is to be awarded the prize during a ceremony on the Georgia Tech campus on November 13, 2013.