Before the establishment of the Medal of Valor , there were no Federal awards to specifically acknowledge the bravery performed by public safety officers throughout the United States ; police and firefighting departments typically award their members medals at a state or local government level . The establishment of the Medal of Valor filled a huge void in the civilian decorations system of the United States , which was all the more timely given the catastrophe in New York three-and-a-half months later on September 11 , 2001 . ( In the end , however , the 442 public safety officers killed at World Trade Center and The Pentagon that day were awarded the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor , a similar but separate award . ) On July 27 , 2017 , Donald Trump awarded five first responders with the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor for their response to the 2017 Congressional baseball shooting
2017 Congressional baseball shooting
2017 Congressional baseball shooting
Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor