Daniel Penny received the Semper Fidelis achievement for the Marine Corps League at an Iwo Jima Day event on Wednesday.
Penny attended the event with defense attorneys Thomas Kenniff and Steve Raiser, who also received plaques.
Raiser told the New York Post in an emailed statement that the league “honored Danny for representing the Esprit De Corps of the Marines, defined by selfless service and sacrifice, when he risked his life by defending the people on that NYC train and we in turn successfully defended Danny from a prosecution that never should have been sought.”
“We were honored and humbled to be in the same room being honored alongside many veterans of prior wars, including an Iwo Jima veteran and a retired general who served as one of the Tuskegee Airmen,” he said.
Kenniff shared images from the event on social media, writing, “Special day being honored at Iwo Jima Day at the Massachusetts State House today. Privileged to meet surviving WWII veterans and Brig Gen Enoch ‘Woody’ Woodhouse, a member of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen.”
Last year, a Manhattan jury found Daniel Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in Jordan Neely’s death.
In 2023, Penny restrained Jordan Neely in a Manhattan F train, placing him in a chokehold. The incident occurred after Neely was threatening those on the train. Neely died soon after, although reports indicate Neely was alive when police arrived at the scene.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) announced in December that he introduced a resolution to award Daniel Penny with the Congressional Gold Medal.
