Brig. Gen. Michael L. Cunniff, left, The Adjutant General

Brig. Gen. Michael L. Cunniff, left, The Adjutant General of New Jersey, presents the Humanitarian Service Medal to a New Jersey Army National Guard Soldier during the award ceremony at the National Guard Armory in Lawrenceville, N.J., May 3, 2016. More than 80 New Jersey Army and Air Guard members received the Humanitarian Service Medal for their assistance in the Superstorm Sandy rescue, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. More than 2,200 Soldiers and Airmen who took part in the largest domestic mobilization in the New Jersey National Guard’s history will receive the medal in the coming weeks. New Jersey National Guard troops rescued more than 7,000 residents and their pets in the days after the storm made landfall. The troops remained on duty following the storm, assisting civil authorities with security, transportation, logistics, and reconstructing efforts, delivering more than 10,000 meals and hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel. The federal military award is normally reserved for personnel who are serving on federal active duty when mobilized for a humanitarian relief operation. But the hurdles were cleared to allow presentation of the award to National Guard troops – who mobilized for domestic emergency under orders issued by their state – through the intervention of U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-3rd Dist.). MacArthur and one of his staffers, Kyle Melander, began work to obtain Pentagon approval last year. The Humanitarian Service Medal was authorized by Executive Order 11965, Jan. 19, 1977. It was established to honor personnel of the Armed Forces of the United States who distinguished themselves by meritorious direct participation in a significant military act or operation of a humanitarian nature, or have rendered a service to mankind. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen/Released)