Retired U.S. Coast Guard Chief Jason Lorewald and civilian Justin Holley received the Silver Lifesaving Medal, one of the Coast Guard's oldest decorations, during a special ceremony on Veterans Day for pulling 26 people out of floodwaters that trapped residents in their homes in Lafitte, Louisiana, during Hurricane Ida.
The two men were honored during a special ceremony on Wednesday, according to WDSU. The outlet reported that Lorewald and Holley were recognized specifically for rescuing 26 people in Lafitte during the 2021 storm, a stretch of coastal Louisiana where many residents found themselves cut off by rapidly rising water with no way out.
Floodwaters Trapped Families Across Lafitte
Hurricane Ida's surge left many Lafitte residents trapped inside their own homes as water overtook the low-lying community, per the same WDSU account. It was in that chaos that Lorewald, a retired Coast Guard chief, and Holley, a civilian, carried out the rescues that would eventually earn them the Coast Guard's recognition years later.
The medal's long history reflects a tradition of honoring people who risk themselves to save others.
A Decoration Few Ever Receive
The Silver Lifesaving Medal is one of the Coast Guard's oldest decorations, and the station's report notes that it has only been received by around 2,000 people. It is designed to honor individuals who sacrifice themselves to save others, a standard that applies whether the rescuer wears a uniform or not.
That civilian eligibility isn't incidental. Government heraldry documentation from the Institute of Heraldry states the medal was established by an act of Congress approved June 20, 1874, and is awarded by the Coast Guard Commandant to any person — not only those in uniform — who rescues or attempts to rescue someone from drowning, shipwreck, or another peril of the water. That history is part of why Holley, despite having no Coast Guard affiliation, could stand alongside a retired chief to receive the same honor.
Five years after Hurricane Ida battered coastal Louisiana, two people who rescued others during the storm have joined a small, select group recognized for risking their own safety to save others.
