Hailed as heroes, the law enforcement officers who defended the US Capitol have been honoured with Congressional Gold Medals and praised for securing democracy when they fought off a brutal and bloody attack by supporters of then-president Donald Trump.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened the emotional ceremony on Tuesday, tensions still raw in the stately Capitol Rotunda, which was overrun that day when Trump broke into the building on January 6, 2021 and stormed the halls trying to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's election.
"January 6 was a day of horror and heartbreak. It is also a moment of extraordinary heroism - staring down deadly violence and despicable bigotry," Pelosi said.
In bestowing Congress' highest honour, Pelosi praised the heroes for "courageously answering the call to defend our democracy in one of the nation's darkest hours".
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said: "Thank you for having our backs. Thank you for saving our country."
But showing the raw political and emotional fallout from the violent insurrection and its aftermath, representatives of the family of fallen officer Brian Sicknick declined to shake hands with the Republican leaders, snubbing McConnell's outstretched palm.
The ceremony at the Capitol comes as Democrats, weeks away from losing their House majority, race to finish a nearly 18-month investigation of the insurrection.
Without support from GOP leadership, Democrats led the bipartisan probe with two Republicans and vowed to uncover the details of the attack, which came as Trump tried to overturn his election defeat and encouraged his supporters to "fight like hell" in a rally just before the congressional certification.
Awarding the medals is among Pelosi's last ceremonial acts as she prepares to step down from leadership.
"Your valor that day is the stuff of legend," Pelosi told those officers gathered on Tuesday.
More than 100 officers who fought off the rioters sustained serious injuries. As the mob of Trump's supporters pushed past them and into the Capitol, police were beaten with American flags and their own guns, dragged down stairs, sprayed with chemicals and trampled and crushed by the crowd.
Officers suffered physical wounds, including brain injuries with lifelong effects, and many struggled to work afterward because they were so traumatised.
Four officers who testified at a House hearing last year spoke openly about the lasting mental and physical scars, and some detailed near-death experiences.
The June 2021 House vote to award the medals won widespread support from both parties.