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President Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal, one of the nation’s highest civilian honors, to law enforcement, election workers and local officials who stood firm in the face of chaos on Jan. 6, 2021, marking the second anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Mr. Biden said the riot serves as a reminder that “there’s nothing guaranteed about our democracy” and declared “America is a land of laws, not chaos.”
“Our democracy held,” Mr. Biden said in his remarks during the East Room ceremony Friday. “We the people did not flinch.”
The list of awardees includes U.S. Capitol and the District’s Metropolitan Police, election workers, and state and local officials.
Three officers received the medal posthumously including U.S. Capitol Police Officers Brian Sicknick who died of natural causes one day after responding to the riot, and Howard Liebengood, who died by suicide days after responding to the attacks. Jeffrey Smith, a Washington Metropolitan police officer who also died by suicide days after the attack was also honored.
The list of U.S. Capitol Police officers also included Eugene Goodman, who is credited with diverting rioters away from lawmakers as they evacuated; Harry Dunn, who faced racial slurs and harassment while defending the Capitol; Caroline Edwards, who was the first officer to be injured during the attack; and Aquilino Gonell, also injured during the protest.
