Honoring Our DHS Heroes

Over 200,000 men and women proudly serve this nation each day at DHS. I am indeed grateful for the dedication they bring to their jobs and for the pivotal role they play in the defense of our country.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of recognizing a number of them at our Third Annual Honorary Awards ceremony. I recognized 81 individuals, 32 teams, and 18 Presidential Rank awardees. As in prior years, the awardees were selected for their outstanding contributions in carrying out our homeland security mission.

Let me tell you about a few of them.

Border Patrol Agent Gary L. Ortega was one of 12 recipients of the Secretary's Award for Valor. He earned this honor by rescuing several people from a burning vehicle. Agent Ortega risked his own life by repeatedly returning to the vehicle to help bring its occupants to safety.

Also receiving this award was Aviation Survival Technician Third Class Robert D. Emley of the Coast Guard. Petty Officer Emley rescued four fishermen from a boat which was rolling dangerously on rough seas.

I presented the premier award, the Secretary's Gold Medal, to Charlie Allen, our Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis. Following an illustrious career serving our country in the intelligence arena, Charlie came to DHS and has since become an institution at our department. I recognized him for his tremendous devotion and vision and for his role in creating the Homeland Security Threat Intelligence Group to improve intelligence-related decision-making across our department.

I'm honored to call these fine individuals and great Americans my colleagues. It is my hope that as we approach a new year, we will remember them and their counterparts across DHS in our thoughts and prayers as they give their all to keep us safe and secure.

Michael Chertoff