May 19 (UPI) — President Donald Trump awarded the first-ever Medals of Sacrifice, during a ceremony Monday at the White House, to three “heroic law officers” who were killed in the line of duty last year.
“Today we remember three remarkable heroes who will become the medals’ first-ever recipients. That’s a big honor,” Trump said, as he remembered Corporal Luiz Paez Jr., Deputy Ralph “Butch” Waller Jr. and Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. The three officers were struck and killed by a vehicle last November while on motorcycle patrol.
Going forward, the Medal of Sacrifice will be awarded to any law enforcement or first responder who makes the “ultimate sacrifice.”
“Earlier today, Congressman Brian Mast introduced a bill to ensure this new medal will be awarded to any law enforcement officer or first responder who gives his or her life in the line of duty,” Trump said. “The three officers we recognize today were close friends and colleagues. And together, they dedicated their lives to protecting the people of Palm Beach County and well beyond.”
“This was a terrible tragedy. It shook the entire Palm Beach community,” Trump continued. “All of Florida mourned their loss and today our entire nation joins in honoring these three incredible patriots taken from us much too soon.”
Eric Trump spoke Monday about attending the officers’ funeral with his father and the inspiration to honor their sacrifice.
“My father and I attended the funeral that day and I can’t tell you how moving that experience was,” Eric Trump told the families. “And one simple question was asked: Why is there no medal of valor, medal of sacrifice that commemorates law enforcement officers, first responders who have fallen in the line of duty?”
The medal was designed by Tiffany’s, the jewelry-maker that created the Medal of Honor in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
“It’s only natural that we follow with this heritage just as we work on other important American heirlooms,” the company said. The medals were made in Providence, R.I., of silver and 24-carat gold and contain the coat of arms of the United States.
“These medals can be given for hundreds and hundreds of years to come,” the president’s son added.
“For the first time in our nation’s history — all of our first responders, all of our law enforcement, all of our firefighters — we’re going to recognize that sacrifice from the office of the presidency,” said Mast. “And that has never taken place before.”
Each of the families of the three fallen officers were honored Monday with the new medals, including Denise Waller.
“Thank you very much for honoring my husband,” said Waller. “Making this so very special for him and for all those people to come. It is a club you never want to be in. But, you’ve honored them, and it just means the world.”
