An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Articles
News | June 22, 2021

Vermont Guardsman Receives Soldier’s Medal for 2020 rescue

By Joshua T. Cohen Vermont National Guard Public Affairs

On Feb. 29, 2020, Sgt. 1st Class Dustin Dearborn, a Vermont Army National Guard instructor at the Army Mountain Warfare School, responded to an emergency call from State Police to assist in the rescue of two skiers lost at night, in deteriorating weather near the Stowe Mountain ski area.

Dearborn never imagined that 16 months later, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott would decorate him with the Soldier’s Medal, one the military’s highest honors, awarded only for acts of heroism not involving conflict with an armed enemy.

“It should be no surprise that a member of the Vermont National Guard would earn such a recognition, that commitment to service and community, that sense of duty is engrained in every member of the Guard,” Scott said. During the ceremony, AMWS commander, Lt. Col. Steven Gagner explained the importance of the event. “The award of the Soldier’s Medal is significant and unique, it is the highest award a Soldier can receive outside of combat, you don’t see it very often.” During the rescue operation, Dearborn risked his own safety conducting multiple ice climbs in freezing conditions in hours of darkness to reach and recover the lost skiers. He was accompanied by four National Guard Soldiers and members of the Stowe Mountain Rescue Team.

The Governor said, “While most of us run from danger or a problem, I’ve always been in awe of those who step up and run towards it, Sergeant Dearborn’s actions last year are an incredible example of this and that’s why we’re here today.”

Dearborn has instructed at the Mountain Warfare School since August of 2001, something he was interested in becoming since he was much younger.

“I knew about the Army Mountain Warfare School since I was a kid, my best friend’s father was a long-time instructor here, when I first joined the Guard, I was in the Mountain Brigade, and as soon as I could, I transferred to the AMWS,” he said prior to the ceremony. The Vermont National Guard has run the AMWS in Jericho, Vermont since 1983, it serves as the only school in the United States Armed Forces that teaches basic, advanced and specialty mountain warfare courses, as well as provides additional mission specific training to United States and foreign military forces in a variety of countries.

Scott reminded the audience that Dearborn “put his life on the line for two total strangers, think about what it must have been like, think about the courage it takes, the commitment to others it requires, think about the bravery, that’s why I believe they’re the best among us.”

The VTNG held the award ceremony at the AMWS on Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho.

The official logo of the Vermont National Guard.

TAG's State of the Guard - April 2025

The above YouTube video link may not work on all government computers. Read the transcript of MG Gregory Knight's full State of the Guard here.

National Guard News
Colorado Army National Guard crew chiefs U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Wade Shore (left) and Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Hubbard (right), High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, perform maintenance on their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, in Gypsum, Colorado, July 23, 2025. Both Soldiers participated in a dangerous nighttime rescue that set the record for the highest hoist ever conducted in Colorado, saving two hikers who had become caught in a storm and were struck by lightning. The crew flew at approximately 14,200 feet above sea level, beating the previous record of around 13,700 feet by a military aircraft in Colorado.
Colorado National Guard Aircrew Breaks Record for Hoist Rescue
By Staff Sgt. Josiah Pugh, | July 25, 2025
GYPSUM, Colo. – Members of a Colorado Army National Guard Black Hawk aircrew tested their skill and pushed their helicopter’s performance to its limits during a dangerous nighttime rescue that set the record for the highest...

An Ohio National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter repairer assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment, does in-flight inspections during a flight to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, July 14, 2025. The operation highlighted collaboration between Army and Air National Guard units, strengthening inter-branch coordination that is essential for mission success in both domestic and deployed settings.
178th Wing Scores in Top 5% of Total Force in Combat Readiness Inspection
By Shane Hughes, | July 24, 2025
SPRINGFIELD-BECKLEY AIR GUARD STATION, Ohio - The Ohio Air National Guard’s 178th Wing scored in the top 5% of all Air Force wings in a Combat Readiness Inspection completed July 17 at the Springfield-Beckley Air National...

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the Kentucky Army National Guard participate in a radio communications knowledge exchange with Djiboutian soldiers at the Djiboutian signal corps compound in Djibouti City, Djibouti, July 14, 2025. The State Partnership Program conducts military-to-military engagements in support of U.S. defense and security goals, facilitating cooperation across all levels of international civil-military affairs, and encouraging relationship building at the state level.
Kentucky Guard, Djibouti Military Partner on Cyber, Radio Exchange
By Staff Sgt. Marcus Hardy-Bannerman, | July 24, 2025
DJIBOUTI CITY, Djibouti - In the East Africa region where a single breached network can ripple across borders, Djiboutian soldiers and the Kentucky Army National Guard as well as other U.S. service members spent four focused...