Photo By Senior Airman Charles Casner | U.S. Army Brig. Gen. John Pippy, Acting Adjutant General of the Pennsylvania National...... read more read more
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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Two Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers received the prestigious Octavius V. Catto Medal during a ceremony Oct. 5 at the Union League of Philadelphia.
Master Sgt. Marcos Figueroa of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion and Master Sgt. John Shaw of the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade were selected to receive the medal this year.
The Catto Medal is awarded annually to 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 Pennsylvania Acting Adjutant General Brig. Gen. John Pippy, 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.”
Figueroa, a Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, resident, has been in the Pennsylvania National Guard for 15 years. He currently serves as the company first sergeant for RRBN’s Delta Company.
“Receiving the Octavius V. Cotto Award is not just a personal honor; it represents my commitment to empowering the next generation,” Figueroa said. “This recognition fuels my passion for mentoring youth, particularly in inner-city communities, where support and guidance can make all the difference in shaping their futures. Investing in our youth is not just an act of service; it is an investment in a better tomorrow.”
Shaw, a Lucerne Mines, Pennsylvania, resident, has been in the Pennsylvania National Guard for 23 years. He is the senior human resources noncommissioned officer for the 28th ECAB.
“I am humbled to be receiving this award,” said Shaw. “Like most volunteers, I don’t do it to be recognized. I volunteer to give back my community. I grew up with the mentality that if someone needed help, and I had the ability, I should at least try to help them.”
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.
“When these Guardsmen put on their uniforms with the Catto Medal, it tells the world that we in the Guard strive to uphold the values Catto embodied,” Pippy said. “We can all, no matter our background, aspire to follow his example of courage, excellence and selfless service.”
| Date Taken: | 10.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.08.2024 10:06 |
| Story ID: | 482737 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | GILBERTSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | LUCERNE MINES, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 128 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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