The Presidential Citizens Medal Going To These 12 Individuals

To mark two years since the insurrection on the Capitol, the President will host a ceremony at the White House on Friday, January 6th, the White House official has confirmed.

President will award the Presidential Citizens Medal to 12 individuals who have “performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.”

This will be the first time President Biden will be awarding the Citizens Medal, one of the nation’s highest civilian honors.

Jocelyn Benson served as the Secretary of State of Michigan during the 2020 election and faced pressure from those seeking to overturn the election results, including armed protesters outside her home. Benson received the 2022 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award.

Rusty Bowers served as the Arizona House Speaker during the 2020 election, resisting pressure from those seeking to overturn the election results. He received the 2022 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award.

Harry Dunn is a Capitol Police Officer who defended the Capitol on January 6^th, facing racial slurs and harassment from rioters. Dunn has served in the Capitol Police force for nearly fifteen years.

Caroline Edwards was the first law enforcement officer injured by rioters on January 6^th. Even after suffering a traumatic brain injury, Officer Edwards worked to prevent rioters from entering the Capitol building. Officer Edwards has served in law enforcement for nearly six years.

Michael Fanone served as a Metropolitan Police Department Officer and defended the Capitol on January 6^th, suffering injuries during the attack. After the attack, he resigned from the Metropolitan Police Department, having served for 20 years after joining in the wake of September 11^th.

Ruby Freeman served as an election worker in Fulton County, Georgia, during the 2020 election. Ms. Freeman worked to ensure that the people of Georgia could vote freely and fairly, and, for simply doing her job, was forced to withstand efforts to overturn the election that targeted and threatened her and her family.

Aquilino Gonell served as a Capitol Police Sergeant and defended the Capitol on January 6^th, suffering injuries during the attack. Sergeant Gonell is an emigrant from the Dominican Republic and a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq.

Eugene Goodman is a Capitol Police Officer who defended the Capitol on January 6^th. He is credited with diverting rioters from the floor of the Senate while members were still evacuating. Officer Goodman is a U.S. Army veteran and, from January 20, 2021, to March 2, 2021, served as Acting Deputy Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate.

Daniel Hodges is a Metropolitan Police Department Officer who defended the Capitol on January 6^th, suffering injuries during the attack. The day of the attack was Hodges’s first time ever in the Capitol. Officer Hodges has served in the Metropolitan Police Department for over seven years.

Shaye Moss served as an election worker in Fulton County, Georgia, during the 2020 election. Like her mother, Ruby Freeman – who was also a Fulton County election worker and will also receive the Presidential Citizen Medal – Ms. Moss was subjected to threats and harassment in the wake of the election. Ms. Moss received the 2022 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award.

Al Schmidt is a former federal civil servant and served as a city commissioner on the Philadelphia County Board of Elections. During the 2020 election, he kept the vote tally going in the face of pressure and efforts to overturn the election.

Brian Sicknick (posthumous) was a Capitol Police officer who defended the Capitol on January 6^th. After he lost his life protecting our elected representatives, Officer Sicknick was laid in honor in the Capitol rotunda in February 2021.