The Bronze Star is awarded for saving a life without placing oneself in peril.
The employee shall have used proper training and tactics in a professional manner to save, or clearly contribute to saving, the life of another person.
Bronze Star medal honorees
CDCR is honoring 11 Bronze Star Medal recipients whose actions saved lives on and off duty. Whether it’s responding to severe injury after an assault, helping a cardiac arrest victim, rescuing people from car crashes or pulling a child from deep water, each instance reflects the skill and professionalism of the Bronze Star Medal, awarded for saving a life without placing oneself in danger.
Joseph Amezquita, Correctional Officer
Joseph Masterson, Correctional Officer
Sierra Conservation Center, Jamestown
Correctional officers Joseph Amezquita and Joseph Masterson were leaving work Sept. 20, 2025, when they encountered a single-vehicle accident on O’Byrnes Ferry Road near Tulloch Lake. The driver and passenger sustained injuries in the crash. Without hesitation, they placed themselves at risk to render aid to the injured occupants.
According to Masterson, while he was stopped in a vulnerable location, he saw Officer Amezquita running along the roadside. Masterson rolled down his window and asked about the situation. Recognizing Masterson had a medical kit and tourniquet in his vehicle, Amezquita instructed him to pull over and bring the equipment.
Upon arriving at the scene, Masterson observed a good Samaritan holding up the driver’s arm, which had sustained a severe injury. Acting quickly, Masterson applied a tourniquet to the driver’s forearm while Amezquita recorded the application time.
With temperatures exceeding 90 degrees, Masterson then cut away the deployed airbag to increase airflow into the vehicle. Meanwhile, Amezquita rendered aid to the passenger as another good Samaritan attempted to calm her. Once bleeding was controlled, Masterson assisted Amezquita in calming the passenger and providing further care.
The scene presented an additional hazard due to its location in a blind curve at the end of a sharp hairpin turn. Both officers were required to remain vigilant, continually checking for oncoming vehicles, while simultaneously directing traffic and rendering aid until the arrival of California Highway Patrol and CAL FIRE personnel.
By entering the roadway amidst heavy traffic to render aid, their actions demonstrated professionalism and humanity.
For their courage, selflessness and compassion, Correctional Officers Joseph Amezquita and Joseph Masterson are awarded the Bronze Star.
Jocelin Chavez, Correctional Officer
Mayra Lopez-Zamorano, Correctional Officer
Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran
A head-on collision on Highway 43 near Delano found correctional officers rendering aid. Correctional Officers Jocelin Chavez and Mayra Lopez-Zamorano each arrived soon after the Feb. 1, 2025, accident.
Lopez-Zamorano provided medical aid, identifying injuries and keeping the crash victim conscious through dialogue. Chavez also provided aid and assistance until emergency services arrived. The officers were able to provide crucial information to medical and law enforcement personnel. For their actions, Correctional Officers Jocelin Chavez and Mayra Lopez-Zamorano are awarded the Bronze Star.
For full details on the accident and the other staff member awarded a medal, see the 2026 Gold Star page.
Mallory Corter, Correctional Sergeant
CSP-Sacramento
When an incarcerated person attacked correctional officers as they removed him from his cell for a cell search Nov. 1, 2025, Correctional Sgt. Mallory Corter’s immediate actions helped save an officer’s life.
After being secured in restraints, the incarcerated person attacked the officers with an improvised weapon. He struck one officer in the leg and the other officer in the arm. To overcome the violent attack, officers used physical force as well as chemical agents.
Corter responded as the officer with the leg injury was being escorted out of the building in a gurney. She immediately applied direct pressure with her hands to an open wound on his leg. The wound was bleeding profusely, despite the officer having applied a tourniquet. Without Corter’s immediate action, the officer could have lost a limb, or his life.
For her skillful and swift actions, Sgt. Mallory Corter is awarded the Bronze Star.
Esteban Cruz, Correctional Officer
Pleasant Valley State Prison, Coalinga
Correctional Officer Esteban Cruz was midway through a workout at a Clovis gym June 17, 2025, when he noticed a person hunched over an exercise bike.
Esteban approached the man and assisted him to the floor, when the man went into cardiac arrest. An off-duty nurse was also in the gym and initiated CPR. Cruz immediately called 911 and retrieved the gym’ s Automated External Defibrillator (AED). He used the AED on the man before continuing with CPR until paramedics arrived.
Weeks after the incident, Cruz met the 25-year-old man and his family. He learned the man suffered a widow-maker heart attack requiring four stents. Had it not been for Cruz’s immediate actions, the man’s mother said her son would not be alive today.
For his decisive action and dedication to protecting others, Correctional Officer Esteban Cruz is awarded the Bronze Star.
Orlando Gomez, Correctional Officer
Mule Creek State Prison, Ione
Following a multi-vehicle accident, Correctional Officer Orlando Gomez stopped and rendered aid to a young female passenger in their vehicle who suffered serious injuries.
He also cut away the rear airbag from the vehicle and directed firefighters to other victims who needed assistance. For these actions, Correctional Officer Orlando Gomez is awarded the Bronze Star.
For full details on the accident and the other staff member awarded a medal, see the 2026 Gold Star page.
Josue Hernandez, Heavy Equipment Mechanic
Avenal State Prison
Josue Hernandez was driving on Highway 198 in Visalia Dec. 26, 2025, during rainy and wet conditions when he witnessed an SUV veer off the road and roll over.
Hernandez immediately pulled over and helped others safely remove the occupants. He personally brought a 10-year-old child out of the vehicle to safety.
For his swift action and commitment to protecting others, Josue Hernandez is awarded the Bronze Star.
Michael Olmos, Correctional Officer
California Rehabilitation Center, Norco
Correctional Officer Michael Olmos heard a loud crash in front of his home in San Bernardino around 4 a.m., Sept. 13, 2025. Olmos, his wife and son ran to the front window and saw the aftermath of a head-on collision. They rushed outside to help.
One vehicle was on fire, with a female driver and two passengers inside. In the other vehicle, a male driver was trapped between the steering wheel and his driver seat, with a female passenger also in the car.
Olmos and his son carried the male driver, who had a bone protruding through his leg, out of his vehicle through the driver-side window and placed him on the sidewalk. His wife guided the female passenger, who had two broken arms, to the sidewalk. His wife then stayed with the two occupants until emergency services arrived.
Olmos, his son and neighbors attempted to put out the car fire until firefighters arrived, but unfortunately the female driver was pinned in the car and did not survive.
For his courage and quick response, Correctional Officer Michael Olmos is awarded the Bronze Star.
Sandeep Singh, Correctional Officer
Sierra Conservation Center, Jamestown
Correctional Officer Sandeep Singh had just finished a Veterans Day golf tournament in Lincoln last year when he spotted others on the course lifting an overturned golf cart. Two women, one with severe injuries, were next to it.
Singh immediately responded, quickly determining one of the women likely suffered head trauma, the result of the golf cart flipping over and pinning her head between the concrete path and the cart.
The woman had a large gash on the side of her head and was losing a massive amount of blood. Singh and his companions grabbed golf towels and ice from a nearby ice chest, then began to apply pressure to the gaping wound, which eventually slowed the bleeding. He also kept her head and neck stationary until paramedics arrived.
Thanks to Singh’s quick, decisive actions, the woman is expected to fully recover. For his willingness to take the necessary actions when seconds matter, Correctional Officer Deep Singh is awarded the Bronze Star.
Hugo Soto, Correctional Officer, K-9 Unit
Correctional Training Facility, Soledad
In June 2025, Correctional Officer Hugo Soto was at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The beach has a small lagoon close to the boardwalk, where kids were splashing around to avoid the waves.
His companions noticed Soto, still wearing his brand-new Jordans, wading into the middle of the lagoon, which was much deeper than it appeared. Hugo is 6’5″ and the water was up to his waist.
Suddenly, he pulled a 3-or 4-year-old girl out of the water and moved her to safety. He had seen her go underwater and start to struggle. She was so tiny, no one would have noticed her drowning if he hadn’t been there.
For his quick thinking, selflessness and commitment to protecting others, Correctional Officer Hugo Soto is awarded the Bronze Star.
Read more stories of bravery on Inside CDCR’s Above the Call series.
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