Altamont School student Ethan Hill is one of only five individuals and one organization to earn the 2024 Citizen Honors Award presented by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. The Society—a Congressionally-chartered organization of the 63 living recipients of the nation’s most prestigious award for valor in combat —hosted the honorees in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, on National Medal of Honor Day, March 25.
Launched in 2007, the Citizen Honors Awards program reflects the mission of Medal of Honor Recipients to show that the values associated with the Medal of Honor are relevant to all Americans. The tradition is also in keeping with the preference of Recipients to shine a light on others rather than themselves, as they believe that the Medals of Honor they were awarded should be seen more broadly as a symbol of the sacrifices and service of others.
Society members selected Hill as the 2024 Youth Service Honoree in recognition of his service to the homeless community in and around Birmingham through his Ethan’s Heart Bags4Blessings organization.
“Ethan brings so much awareness of homelessness in this community” Altamont Head of School Cecil Stodghill said in the Society’s video introduction to Hill’s work. “To see that a teenager can have such an impact really pushes others to say, ‘I can do that, I want to do that, I should do that’”.
The awards event followed a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and a dinner that introduced honorees to Society members. Hill had the privilege of meeting Medal of Honor Recipient retired Army Capt. Paris D. Davis. Davis was unable to present Hill’s award as scheduled, so Medal of Honor Recipient retired Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore A. Giunta took that role. Giunta is the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor in the 21st century.
In addition to Hill, the 2024 honorees include:
- Riley Coon (Wailuku, Hawaii), selected as a Single Act of Heroism Honoree for his act of heroism on Jan. 21, 2023, when he answered the call from the Coast Guard to use his vessels in saving the lives of people trying to escape the inferno in Lahaina. Riley led his team into harm’s way with 80 mph winds close to shore and intense heat coming from land. They were instrumental in saving lives.
- Brandon Tsay (San Marino, California), selected as a Single Act of Heroism Honoree for his act of heroism on Aug. 9, 2023, when he disarmed the Monterey Park, California, mass shooter at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, California, during Lunar New Year celebrations.
- Austen Macmillan (Wellington, Florida), selected as a Young Hero Honoree for his act of heroism on Sept. 4, 2023, when he pulled his behavioral therapist from a swimming pool and performed CPR after he attempted to show the boy how long he could hold his breath underwater.
- Danny Combs (Golden, Colorado), selected as the Service Act Honoree for his work to create better lives for those with autism. Inspired by his son, Dylan, Danny started TACT - Teaching the Autism Community Trades to create authentic training that leads to careers. His program has become the most successful training-to-employment program for the autism community in Colorado.
- America’s VetDogs (Smithtown, New York), selected as the Community Service Honoree for providing enhanced mobility and renewed independence to veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders with disabilities, allowing them to live with pride and self-reliance once again. America’s VetDogs utilizes a meticulous matching program to ensure that each recipient is matched with the dog that best suits that person’s mobility, personality, lifestyle, and physical needs.
Submitted by Sean Flynt, The Altamont School
