This year's Illinois Chapter's Medal of Courage Award recipient is Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Martinez. Joe is currently President of St. Laurence High School, an independent Catholic school known for its leadership development and academic excellence. While a student at St. Laurence in the late 1990s, he had one of the most storied careers in Viking athletic history, excelling in both football and wrestling. Joe accrued many honors during his prep career. He was a football all-conference, all-area and all-state running back in 1997-98. In just nine games his senior year, he rushed for 2,014 yards, amassing 3,143 yards for his career. Awarded the Tony Lawless Award in 1998, he was featured in Sports Illustrated. As a wrestler, Joe was a two-time IHSA state placer and was inducted into the St. Laurence Athletic Hall of Fame. Upon graduation, Joe went to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he played on the gridiron for the Black Knights and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 2003. In 2005, while transporting Canadian Special Forces deep into Afghanistan, Joe's Chinook helicopter was shot down. He was able to help land the aircraft safely, saving the lives of the 29 Canadian Special Forces and crew aboard the aircraft. He has been awarded numerous awards for his service to his country, but most importantly, the Air Medal with Valor. Joe started his career in the active Army as an Aviation Officer and finished as the Recruiting Company Commander in Chicago before being promoted to the rank of Major. He is now in his 16th year in the Military, serving in the Army Reserves as a Small Group Leader for a training division. Joe is an active fundraiser and volunteer in his community, serving on multiple boards. He is especially proud of his fundraising for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, where his team raised nearly $500,000 in 11 years. A St. Laurence alumni and now President of that same high school since 2012, Joe is committed to giving every St. Laurence grad that kind of courage and ability to achieve what he demonstrated for the past 20 years. Joe resides in Chicago and is married to his high school sweetheart, Jen. They are parents of Ryan (11), Natalie (11), and Aubrey (9).