Photo By Staff Sgt. Wilfredo Acosta | From left to right: Dr. Andy Waske, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James McCormack, Pennsylvania...... read more read more
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PHILADELPHIA – Three Airmen and two Soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard received the prestigious Maj. Octavius V. Catto Medal at a ceremony Oct. 7 at the Union League of Philadelphia.
Lt. Col. Benton Jackson and Senior Master Sgt. Jessica Barder of the 193rd Special Operations Wing; Master Sgt. Duke Elliott-Harmon of the 111th Attack Wing; Command Sgt. Maj. Tyrone Mickens of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion; and Master Sgt. Anthony Varner of the 213th Regional Support Group received the medal during the ceremony.
The Catto Medal recognizes members of the Pennsylvania National Guard who distinguish themselves as leaders through community support and public service, in addition to their military service.
“By issuing the Catto Medal to Soldiers and Airmen who follow Catto’s example of excellent military and community service, we are doing our part to keep his memory alive,” said Maj. Gen. James G. McCormack, assistant adjutant general, Pennsylvania National Guard, who spoke at the ceremony. “The Guard members to whom we award the Catto Medal are proof that the civic leadership and selfless service he demonstrated are as alive as ever.”
Jackson, 48, is commander of the 193rd Special Operations Maintenance Operation Flight. He is a native of York, Pa.
“Receiving this award named after a Pennsylvania activist, scholar and a military officer in the National Guard is humbling,” Jackson said. “I don’t think anyone that donates their time and other resources to the community is looking for recognition, but to hopefully generate positive change within our communities and in our own heart. There are tons of people doing yeoman’s work in the trenches that probably are more deserving of this recognition, but they are quiet professionals that put in the work and don’t seek the spotlight.”
Barder, 40, is a command post controller for the 193rd Special Operations Wing. She is an Elizabethville, Pa., native.
“I am extremely honored to be chosen for this award,” Barder said. “We have so many amazing members in the Pennsylvania National Guard and to be selected for such a prestigious award makes me feel grateful for the leaders who have always supported me and felt I was deserving of it. Helping others has always been a passion of mine. I am always looking for opportunities to better my community and fellow service members as much as I can as I truly believe that change starts from within. My hope is that my devotion to service inspires other around me to do the same.”
Elliott-Harmon, 44, serves as the first sergeant for the 201st RED HORSE Squadron’s Detachment 1. He is a native of Harrisburg, Pa.
“Major Octavius Catto understood the power of community leadership and was the true epitome of the civil servant leader,” Harmon said. “This award means the culmination of the best characteristics of community, ingenuity, leadership and adversity. Because of brave men and women like Major Catto, I can serve in the world's greatest military. As a first sergeant in the Air Force we have a motto, people are our business, and our first duty is to serve the people. We embody these characteristics every day.”
Mickens, 46, serves as the battalion command sergeant major of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion. He is a Philadelphia native.
“I am truly humbled and honored to not only have been considered for this award, but to actually be approved to receive it,” Mickens said. “I am not one that needs accolades and awards but if there were ever an award to be happy to receive it’s the O. V. Catto award. Mr. Catto embodied the best qualities of servant leadership and positive engagement toward his fellow man. He exemplified the highest moral character, compassion, competency and courage. This made him a positive and effective agent for change. Those are the attributes I challenge myself to display everyday as I strive to make a difference in all that I do, just as he did.”
Varner, 40, is the senior human resources noncommissioned officer for the 213th RSG. He is a native of Path Valley, Pa.
“I was extremely honored to have been nominated for the Catto Medal,” Varner said. “I believe we all have a responsibility to help shape the future generations of America, so volunteering in our local communities and getting involved in youth programs is important to me. There are a lot of great Citizen-Soldiers out there doing great things for their communities, and for me to be considered for this award means so much.”
Catto was a Civil War-era Pennsylvania militia officer who was killed in Philadelphia in 1871 while on duty defending African-Americans at polling places by those who opposed their right to vote. He was a professor at the Institute for Colored Youth, now Cheyney University, and a community leader who led desegregation efforts in Philadelphia in the 1860s.
The Catto medal was originally created in the 1880s, but there are no records that show it was ever awarded before it disappeared. It was approved for re-introduction into the commonwealth's military decorations system in December 2011 and first awarded in 2012.
| Date Taken: | 10.10.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.10.2023 13:07 |
| Story ID: | 455456 |
| Location: | PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | ELIZABETHVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | SPRING RUN, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
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