"History Will Remember Your Names." --Biden, to Citizens Medal Recipients at January 6th Memorial

President Joe Biden shakes hands with U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell. Washington Metro PD officer Daniel Hodges looks on at center. [Photo Credit: Patrick Semansky/AP]

President Biden commemorated two years since the January 6, 2021 insurrection attack on the US Capitol, awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal to more than a dozen individuals--including law enforcement officers who were injured defending the Capitol, a Capitol Police officer who died the day after rioters stormed the building, officers who died by suicide after defending the Capitol, as well as elected officials and election workers who rejected efforts by former President Donald Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

US President Joe Biden awards the Presidential Citizens Medal to US Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick whose mother Gladys Sicknick, accepts on his behalf. [Photo Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images]

Biden has long referred to the insurrection as "one of the darkest periods of our nation's history", and this year he sought to elevate the law enforcement and election officials who are responsible for our democracy still being here, today. The president noted the "bittersweet" nature of the ceremony, as "more than 140 law enforcement officials suffered physical injuries and untold numbers are suffering from the psychological toll of that day as well," he said during his address.

Watch the full ceremony here:

"Those in the room being honored embody the best before, during, and after January 6, 2021. History will remember your names. They’ll remember your courage. They’ll remember your bravery. They’ll remember your extraordinary commitment to your fellow Americans,"