The 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor is a decoration in the United States presented by President George W. Bush and created specifically to honor the 442 public safety officers who were killed in the line of duty during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the empty wing of The Pentagon.
The Medals were presented by the President to the families of the fallen officers at The White House on September 9, 2005. During the ceremony nearly 4 years after the devastating terrorist attacks, President Bush would honor the lives of the public safety officers who died in the line of duty as well as comfort the families who were left behind and accepted the medals in remembrance of their deceased relatives. Around 1,200 family members and friends showed up at the ceremony to honor their friends and relatives who died on September 11.
Although not every name could be listed in President Bush’s brief speech, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales read all 442 names out loud so that all who gathered could honor every individual who gave his or her life on one of the most tragic days in American history.
The 442 public service officers included 343 New York City Fire Department members, 50 Port Authority police officers and assistants, 23 NYPD officers, 3 state court officers, and members of the Secret Service, FBI, and private ambulance workers.
The medal intentionally resembles the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor and the military’s Medal of Honor. It’s a gilt, light blue-enameled, five-pointed, upside-down star surrounded by a wreath of laurel.
In the obverse, the center has a dark blue-enameled pentagon representing The Pentagon, with a gilt disc bearing the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the American eagle holding the shield of the United States and laurel, and the date “9. 11. 01”.
The Medal is suspended on a gilt disc bearing a letter “H” (for Heroism) inside a keystone, (representing the Keystone State of Pennsylvania) surrounded by a wreath of laurels, which is in turn suspended on a neck ribbon, blue with gold and light blue edge stripes and a white center stripe.
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