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The highest lifeguard award presented by 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. USLA also extends the Heroic Act Award to non-lifeguards.

2006 Medal of Valor Recipients:

  • Joel Gitelson - Los Angeles County
    •        Joel Gitelson, a veteran Los Angeles County Lifeguard, was awarded with the 2006 USLA Medal of Valor for his rescue of 3 fisherman stranded on the rocks of Santa Barbara Island. In a pitch black night with gale force winds, Joel and Baywatch Captain Lance Dempsey raced 27 miles and arrived to find Coast Guard rescue swimmer Jody Larson on the rocks with one of the fishermen, whom she had pulled from the water. The other two victims were stranded with their boat atop the rocks. Joel jumped from Baywatch and swam through heavy kelp, crushing waves and high winds to reach the boat. Determining that the victims were too bruised and hypothermic to swim, a larger Coast Guard helicopter was called from San Diego. Joel assisted in the victims' basket lifts, then was lifted himself and dropped back at the Baywatch boat. Joel also received Los Angeles County's 2005 Valor Award for this rescue.
  • Eric Coats - Cal State Parks (Perris Lake)
    •        Eric Coats, a California State Parks Lifeguard at Perris Lake, received the 2006 USLA Medal of Valor for the successful rescue of two small children trapped in a submerged mini-van. On August 21, 2005, Eric and his partner Eric Almquist were stopped in traffic at the launch ramps of Lake Perris when they observed a mini-van back into the water with 4 people inside. Authorities later determined that the owner's grandson, who was not familiar with the vehicle, thought he put it in reverse and accelerated. The mini-van surged backward and immediately filled with water. The driver and an adult passenger exited the van safely. While Lifeguard Almquist radioed Surcom, Lifeguard Coats instantly grabbed his tube and ran to the van, diving into the driver's door. He soon emerged with the two children safely under his arms. His partner, Lifeguard Almquist said, "I have never seen someone respond the way that Lifeguard Coats did.... he went beyond the call of duty."
    2005 Medal of Valor Recipients:

  • Mike Bartlett - Huntington Beach
    •        Mike Bartlett, a Huntington Beach Lifeguard and CSLSA Executive Delegate, received the 2005 USLA Medal of Valor for the successful rescue of 3 victims caught in a riptide and struggling to stay afloat. Mike swam to the closest victim and secured to a flotation buoy. He then swam to the second, who was going underwater, and grabbed an arm, then buoyed him to the float. Swimming even farther out to the third victim while towing the other two, Mike managed to grab the fingers of the submerged victim and pulled him above water. Maintaining flotation of all three victims, Mike swam towards shore where MSO Matt Norton met him with a paddleboard. Since the victims were very weak, Mike and Matt waited for further assistance from Kai Weisser. The victims recovered after treatment at the hospital. Mike also received Huntington Beach's Award for Valor.
  • Brit Horn - Sonoma Coast State Beach
    •        Brit Horn, a California State Parks Lifeguard, was awarded the Medal of Valor by the USLA at their Fall, 2005 meeting. The Sonoma County State Beach lifeguard participated in two rescue incidents -- one involving a shark attack and the other a distressed surfer. On January 19, 2005, Lifeguard Horn battled a 10 ft. surf to stabilize a distressed surfer until a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter could pull the victim to safety. Then, on October 19, 2005, Horn was off duty and surfing 40 yards from a 20 year-old girl, Megan Halavais, when he witnessed a 14 ft. great white shark pull her under water. Horn immediately swam over to assist other surfers in pulling Megan to shore. Helping administer first aid to her thigh/leg injuries, he stayed long after the paramedics arrived. Horn has been a permanent lifeguard for 25 years.

    USLA Lifeguard Medal of Valor
         Past Recipients from California agencies

      Albers, Bob 1999 San Diego, CA
      Bartlett, Mike 2005 Huntington Beach, CA.
      Beuerlein, Mike 1989 Huntington Beach, CA
      Borland, Tim 2003 Port San Luis Harbor District, CA
      Cicchetto, Sean 1996 San Diego, CA
      Coats, Eric 2006 Cal State Parks (Lake Perris)
      Corbo, Christian 1998 Laguna Beach, CA
      Culp, Casey 1998 California State Parks, CA
      Fesler, Jeff 2003 Port San Luis Harbor District, 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
      Horn, Brit 2005 Sonoma Coast State Beach, CA
      Keulana, Brian 1996 Honolulu, HI
      Korber, Paul 1998 Ventura County, CA
      (posthumous to rescue effort)
      Larsen, Billy 2003 Pismo Beach, CA
      Milligan, Joe 1989 California State Parks, CA
      Murphy, Timothy 1996 California State Parks, CA
      Panis, Marc 1989 Huntington Beach, CA
      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
      Snow, Kevin 1998 Laguna Beach, CA
      Sproull, Mark 1998 Laguna Beach, CA
      Stephenson, Michael 1996 California State Parks, CA
      Tegland, Ormand 1998 Laguna Beach, CA
      Trager, Tom 1998 Laguna Beach, CA