Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation Announces 2015 Citizen Honors Program Honorees

ARLINGTON, Va., March 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation announced its 2015 Citizen Honors Program honorees today.  The three honorees, selected from 20 finalists for their acts of courage and selflessness, are:  Alton Brieske, Jon Meis and Michael Reagan.  The honorees will be recognized in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on National Medal of Honor Day, Wednesday, March 25, 2015.  The ceremony is sponsored by The Boeing Company.

"Every day, all across America, ordinary citizens perform extraordinary acts of courage and service.  The Citizen Honors Program was created by our Nation's truest heroes, the Recipients of the Medal of Honor, to recognize and celebrate the amazing deeds of America's citizen heroes," said Ron Rand, President and CEO of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. 

The 2015 Honorees were selected for the following acts:

Alton Brieske of Port St. Lucie, Florida, was selected for his heroism on December 10, 2014 when he plunged into a snake and alligator infested canal to rescue and resuscitate an unresponsive driver from a submerged vehicle.

Jon Meis of Renton, Washington, was selected for his heroism on June 5, 2014 when he disarmed and subdued a shooter on the campus of Seattle Pacific University.

Michael G. Reagan, a Vietnam Veteran of Edmonds, Washington, was selected for his service in founding the non-profit Fallen Heroes Project, which provides hand-drawn portraits to the families of all servicemen and women who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The three Citizen Honorees were selected from these 20 finalists.

Single Acts of Heroism: Garrett O'Hanlon, Keller, Texas, Dennis Codrington, Poughkeepsie, New York, and Matt Foley, Poughkeepsie, New York; Miguel Benitez, Pasadena, Texas; Alton Brieske, Port St. Lucie, Florida; James Frances Cunningham, San Francisco, California; Devan Euel Hall, Hamilton, Alabama; Jon Meis, Renton, Washington; Paul Mongiello, Shawnee Mission, Kansas; Cody Palmer, Tucumcari, New Mexico; Paul "PJ" Putnam, Dallas, Texas; Iria Wolnick, San Jose, California.

Service Acts: Scott Anderson, Omaha, Nebraska; Helen Ashe and Ellen Turner, Crossville, Tennessee; Adam Burke, Greenville, Florida; Jennifer, D'Andrea-Terreri, Buffalo, New York; Asma Hanif, Gwynn Oak, Maryland; Lashanta Petroski-Ackley, Dracut, Massachusetts; Michael Reagan, Edmonds, Washington; Gene Saunders, Port St. Lucie, Florida; Jordyn Schara, North Freedom, Wisconsin; Robert Woods, West Chester, Ohio

For more information about the 2015 Citizen Honorees and finalists, visit the Congressional Medal of Honor website at www.cmohfoundation.org.

About the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation: The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation was founded in 1999 by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society with the mission to perpetuate the legacy of the Medal through outreach and education. Through its Character Development Program, the Foundation reaches out to the citizens of America, and particularly to young Americans, to promote an awareness of the values embodied in the Medal and to teach that ordinary citizens, through courage, sacrifice, selfless service and patriotism, can make a difference in the lives of others and change the course of history. The Foundation is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit with Tax ID #25-1828488.

For additional information contact:
Eugenia Gardner
719-433-8101

SOURCE Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation