Celebrating Legacy and Inspiring the Future: A Look Back on Medal of Honor Day 2024
As National Medal of Honor Day activities come to a close, we are reflecting on all the incredible opportunities over the past week. Take a look back with us as […]
Service and sacrifice can be found everywhere, but the 2024 Citizen Honors Awards highlighted six extraordinary examples of those values in action. Recognized in a ceremony at the National Museum of the United States Army on March 25, this year’s awardees truly demonstrated the values of the Medal of Honor – courage, sacrifice, citizenship, integrity, commitment, and patriotism.
Learn more about the 2024 Citizen Honors Awardees below and find videos about each on our website.
Meet the Honorees
Riley Coon, of Wailuku, Hawaii, is a 2024 Single Act of Heroism Honoree. Coon, a member of the Coast Guard, rescued people on vessels who were trying to escape the inferno in Lahaina on Aug. 8, 2023. Riley and his team faced 80-mph winds and intense heat in the process.
“I’m receiving this award and recognition, but truly, it’s my team,” said Coon. “I’m here on behalf on them, on behalf of people who drive boats for a living in Maui because we all spring into action whether it be that night or the days following. It wasn’t just me—it’s not a solo effort. A lot of these guys would say the same.”
Brandon Tsay, of San Marino, Calif., was also recognized as a 2024 Single Act of Heroism Honoree. On Jan. 21, 2023, Tsay disarmed a Monterey Park shooter at his family-owned Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra in the midst of Lunar New Year celebrations. Tsay says he hopes his story inspires more recognition of others who display heroic acts in everyday life.
“The word ‘hero’ has been deeply skewed in our media, Marvel movies and such,” said Tsay. “To hear the stories of our local heroes and our nation’s heroes … it really is a testament of humanity and the kindness and courage of moving our nation forward.”
Danny Combs, of Golden, Colo., started the Teaching the Autism Community Trades (TACT) which was inspired by his son Dylan. TACT is the most successful training-to-employment program for the autism community in Colorado. Combs’ program earned him recognition as the 2024 Service Act Honoree.
Combs said that the Recipients’ stories keep him going in his service. “It’s a call to be something more for a community than yourself, to put others first to actually serve,” said Combs. “When [the Recipients] talk about themselves and what they’ve done, it’s with such kindness and with such humility. It’s really rare these days when you meet somebody that genuinely lives service before self, and these individuals live that.”
Ethan Hill, of Birmingham, Ala., is the 2024 Youth Service Honoree. Hill ignited his passion for communities experiencing homelessness by founding Ethan’s Heart Bag4Blessings, where the teenager raises funds, awareness, and contributions for the vulnerable population.
“Being honored gives me a bigger platform and a bigger following to go out and help those who are struggling and out on the streets back home in Birmingham,” said Hill.
Austen Macmillan, of Wellington, Fla., is the 2024 Young Hero Honoree. On Sept. 4, 2023, 12-year-old Macmillan saw that his behavioral therapist was struggling underwater in a swimming pool after demonstrating how long he could hold his breath while submerged. Macmillan pulled him out of the water, performed CPR, and saved his life.
The 2024 Community Service Honoree is America’s VetDogs, based in Smithtown, N.Y. America’s VetDogs provides enhanced mobility and renewed independence to veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders with disabilities. Its matching program ensures that each program participant is paired with a service dog that best suits his or her mobility, personality, lifestyle, and physical needs.
“One person can have just a massive impact, not just in their actions but in their inspiration to others,” said Joseph Worley, Veterans Relations Liaison for America’s VetDogs and former Navy soldier. “Talent is great, but strong will and people that are willing to step up when it’s needed—that’s what makes this country run the way it does.”
Feeling inspired by these stories? Learn more about the Citizen Honors Awards and past honorees or submit a nominee for the 2025 Awards.
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About the Congressional Medal of Honor Society
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Medal of Honor (the United States’ highest award for military valor in action) and its Recipients, inspiring Americans to live the values the Medal represents, and supporting Recipients as they connect with communities across America. Chartered by Congress in 1958, the Society’s membership consists exclusively of those individuals who have received the Medal of Honor.
The Society carries out its mission through outreach, education, and preservation programs, including the Medal of Honor Character Development Program, Citizen Honors Awards, and The Medal of Honor Museum. As part of Public Law 106-83, the Medal of the Honor Memorial Act, The Medal of Honor Museum, which is co-located with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s headquarters on board the U.S.S. Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, was designated as one of three national Medal of Honor sites.
The Society’s programs and operations are fully funded by generous donors.
Learn more about the Medal of Honor and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s initiatives at cmohs.org.