On Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn was on the job as rioters attacked the Capitol. Dunn, who lives in Wheaton, was one of the officers who held back the angry crowds during the attacks.
During a ceremony at the White House on Friday, President Joe Biden awarded him the Presidential Citizens Medal for his role in protecting the Capitol.
The medal is the second-highest award a civilian can get and is given by the president to “U.S. citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.”
In a statement on social media, Dunn thanked the president for the award, and his family for their support.
“I think it’s important to note that I accept this medal not as a Capitol Hill Police Officer, a job I have held for 15 years. Rather, I am here as an American,” Dunn wrote in his statement. “What I did on January 6, I did as a police officer. It was my job. But what I have done every day since, I do because I am an American.”
Dunn has testified before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 violence, said he believes former President Donald Trump should be held accountable and discussed his struggles with post-traumatic stress.
Dunn wrote that Americans have a “sacred responsibility” to protect the country they love.
Dunn concluded by stating his journey doesn’t end with the medal, and that “until there is nothing that can be done, there is always something that can be done.”
