Mary Sherlach of Trumbull, CT for responding to unexpected attacks by a lone, armed assailant at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on the morning of 14 December 2012. Sensing danger in the school’s main hallway, Sherlach ran from the school conference room with Principal Dawn Hochsprung to confront the gunman. Without regard for her own safety, Sherlach gallantly gave her life for her school and her students.