Vermont Guard member to be awarded Soldier’s Medal for skiers’ rescue

JERICHO, Vt. — Gov. Phil Scott on Friday will award the Soldier’s Medal to a Vermont National Guard member who risked his life in rescuing two lost and injured skiers in Stowe last year.

Sgt. First Class Dustin Dearborn, who was assigned to the Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, will be honored on Friday for his heroism on Feb. 29 and March 1, 2020, the Guard said.

Dearborn responded to a request for aid from the Vermont State Police and did multiple ice climbs in freezing conditions in the dark to reach and recover the skiers, the Guard said.

The Soldier’s Medal, one of the country’s highest honors, is awarded for acts of heroism not involving conflict with an armed enemy, the Guard said.

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