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The highest lifeguard award presented by CSLSA/USLA is the Medal of Valor. The primary purpose for creating this award is to give due recognition to an individual lifeguard who voluntarily risked their life, to an extraordinary degree, in saving, or attempting to save another person, or who sacrificed themselves for the benefit of others.2024 Medal of Valor Recipient:
- Ben Sweet - California State Parks
2024 Medal of Valor Recipient:On Thursday, December 28, 2023, the National Weather Service issued an extreme High Surf and Flooding Advisory for the Ventura County area. Due to the extreme conditions, the United States Coast Guard requested all beach portions of the California State Parks within Ventura County to be closed to the public. The Ventura City Pier was also closed to the public due to the large surf and failing structural integrity of the pier. Lifeguards patrolling the beaches observed a surfer in distress. He was separated from his surfboard about 400 yards offshore. Due to the extreme surf size and extensive debris in the water, lifeguards found it very difficult to maintain visual contact with the victim. Ben Sweet notified personnel on the beach he was going on the pier to get a better visual of the victim. At the end of the pier, Ben observed a male victim struggling in severe distress and calling for help. The victim was moving very quickly with the fast-moving lateral current with accompanying large 15-20 foot waves. Ben decided to effect the rescue. He jumped from the pier into and extremely dangerous debris field and large surf. Ben eventually made contact with the victim after swimming nearly a half-mile and secured him in his rescue tube. As Ben began swimming the victim back to shore, they were struck by multiple large waves, which caused them to be separated. Ben performed a "hasty search" but was unable to locate the victim. The victim was found to have washed ashore, still secured in the rescue tube a mile down the beach, ultimately surviving this horrific incident. For his heroic lifesaving actions, Ben Sweet is hereby awarded the California Surf Lifesaving and United States Lifesaving Association's Medal of Valor.
- Riley Rhodes and Max Hunter - California State Parks
At approximately 5:50 PM on Saturday January 21, 2023, California State Lifeguards Max Hunter and Riley Rhodes were on duty in the Poplar Beach area of Half Moon Bay. Hunter and Rhodes responded to the report of a missing swimmer. Once on scene, they suited up as light was fading fast, with sunset at 5:22 PM. They caught a brief glimpse of the swimmer approximately 300 yards beyond the breaking surf, and immediately entered the water navigating the 51° water, 8-10 foot surf, shallow bars and deep holes. Hunter and Rhodes lost sight of the victim but continued in their rescue effort. Units on the beach lost site of the rescuers, and attempted to recall them without luck. Guided by the victim's screams for help approximately 500 yards from shore, Hunter and Rhodes were eventually able to locate the victim. In the meantime, a Harbor Patrol vessel and a Coast Guard Helicopter were both dispatched to aide in the search.. Both of these rescue units were unable to locate the guards or their victim due to darkness and the severe surf conditions. After locating the victim, and seeing that the outside agency rescue units were unable to locate them, Hunter and Rhodes began swimming the exhausted swimmer back through the high surf, in complete darkness and perilous near-shore conditions, eventually exiting the water at Redondo Beach, approximately one mile south of where they initially entered the water. The victim was released for treatment to rescue personnel waiting on the beach. He recovered fully from this near tragedy. For their decisive and heroic actions under extremely hazardous conditions, Max Hunter and Riley Rhodes are hereby awarded the United States Lifesaving and California Surf Lifesaving Association's Medals of Valor.
CSLSA/USLA Lifeguard Medal of Valor
Recipients from California agencies
Albers, Bob 1999 San Diego, CA Bahl, John 2017 San Diego, CA Bartlett, Mike 2005 Huntington Beach, CA. Belden, Andrew 2022 Newport Beach, CA Beuerlein, Mike 1989 Huntington Beach, CA Blackford, Matt 2010 Newport Beach, CA Borland, Tim 2003 Port San Luis Harbor District, CA Brady, Megan 2022 California State Parks, CA Brown, Mark 2012 San Diego, CA Buck, Nathaniel 2009 California State Parks, CA Carlson, Ben (posthumous) 2014 Newport Beach, CA Carter, David 1991 Cal State Parks (Russian River District) Cicchetto, Sean 1996 San Diego, CA Cleveland, Tyson 2018 Oceanside, CA Coats, Eric 2006 Cal State Parks (Lake Perris) Connolly, Chris 2016 Cal State Parks (Ventura) Corbo, Christian 1998 Laguna Beach, CA Culp, Casey 1998 California State Parks, CA Dhillon, Victor 2018 Oceanside, CA Feighan, Mark 2010 San Diego, CA Fellars, Timothy B. 2009 California State Parks, CA Fesler, Jeff 2003 Port San Luis Harbor District, CA Gherardi, Brandon 2023 Los Angeles County, CA Gitelson, Joel 2006 Los Angeles County, CA Grigsby, Scott 1994 Los Angeles County, CA Griguoli, Rich 2003 California State Parks, CA Harris, Ed 1999 San Diego, CA Helble, Andrew 2019 California State Parks, CA Higa, Brian 2012 City/County of Honolulu, HI Horn, Brit 2005 Sonoma Coast State Beach, CA Hunter, Max 2024 California State Parks, CA Ingalls, Chris 2017 San Diego, CA Kari, Brian 2018 Los Angeles County, CA Kelley, Kaipo 2018 Oceanside, CA Keulana, Brian 1996 Honolulu, HI Korber, Paul 1998 Ventura County, CA(posthumous to rescue effort) Kothlow, Erin 2022 California State Parks, CA Lagendijk, Emile 2018 Oceanside, CA Lagendijk, Marko 2018 Camp Pendleton, CA Larsen, Billy 2003 Pismo Beach, CA Liebig, Peter 2010 San Diego, CA Macko, Nick 2020 Los Angeles County, CA Mattison, Matt 2018 Oceanside, CA McDonald, Daryl 2010 San Diego, CA Meyer, Greg 2010 Newport Beach, CA Milligan, Joe 1989 California State Parks, CA Murphy, Timothy 1996 California State Parks, CA Northhelfer, James W. 2009 California State Parks, CA Panis, Marc 1989 Huntington Beach, CA Paun, Chris 2021 Port Hueneme, CA Pendergraft, Aaron 2016 Cal State Parks (Sonoma) Pepper, Laine 1999 San Diego, CA Quigley, Patrick 1998 Laguna Beach, CA Quigley, Patrick 1999 San Diego, CA (this is his second award) Raines, Dave 1999 San Diego, CA Rhodes, Matt 2018 Los Angeles County, CA Rhodes, Riley 2024 California State Parks, CA Snow, Kevin 1998 Laguna Beach, CA Sproull, Mark 1998 Laguna Beach, CA Stephenson, Michael 1996 California State Parks, CA Straub, Don 1991 Cal State Parks (Russian River District) Swank, Dieter 2018 Oceanside, CA Sweet, Ben 2024 California State Parks, CA Tegland, Ormand 1998 Laguna Beach, CA Trager, Tom 1998 Laguna Beach, CA Vipond, Jon 2010 San Diego, CA Wilson, David 2017 Oceanside, CA
Public Safety/Military Medal of Valor (Non-lifeguard)
The highest award for military/public-safety presented by the CSLSA/USLA is the Medal of
Valor. The primary purpose for creating this award is to give due recognition to an individual who
voluntarily risked their life, to an extraordinary degree, in saving, or attempting to save another
person, or who sacrificed themselves for the benefit of others.
Ephron, Matthew 2018 Oceanside Police Officer
Wiese, Jonathan 2020 San Diego Police Canine Officer
