Follow-up: Vt. state trooper receives Carnegie Medal for heroism after lifesaving rescue

April 1, 2025  |  By Lisa Scagliotti 

Vermont State Trooper Michelle Archer. Screenshot from VSP video interview

A heroic rescue that played out at a frigid pond in Cambridge in December 2023 has gotten another national recognition, this time from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. 

Vermont State Police Trooper Michelle Archer will receive a medal as one of 17 Carnegie Heroes for her lifesaving rescue of an 8-year-old girl who fell through ice on a pond on Dec. 17, 2023. 

Archer is on this year’s list of honorees from the United States and Canada who will receive a Carnegie Medal for Heroism after they “risked death or serious physical injury to an extraordinary degree saving or attempting to save the lives of others,” the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission announced last week.

Archer fortunately was on patrol not far from the Cambridge home and pond where the incident took place last winter. She entered the pond, swam to the child, and carried her back to shore where a second officer, Trooper Keith Cote, handed her off to a waiting ambulance. 

Last year, Archer was named a finalist for International Association of Chiefs of Police / Motorola Solutions Trooper of the Year, and she received a Vermont State Police Lifesaving Award, among other honors for her actions. 

Col. Matthew T. Birmingham, director of the Vermont State Police, said the latest recognition from the Carnegie foundation is a tremendous honor for a deserving recipient. “Vermonters have much to be proud of when it comes to the state police, from these high-profile awards to the unsung, everyday acts of selflessness, bravery and heroism that people rarely hear about,” Birmingham said. 

Archer shared her gratitude for the recognition but stressed that the outcome of that call was the best reward. “You don’t get into the profession of policing for accolades; you do it because you believe in serving your community and keeping people safe,” Archer said. “As humbling as all the awards and attention are that followed what I did that day, nothing can overshadow the biggest reward of all: The little girl survived and fully recovered.”

The Vermont child was one of seven children saved by the latest group of Carnegie medal recipients. Read more about the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission and this year’s 17 medal recipients on the fund’s website. 

Since its creation by industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1904,  the Carnegie Medal has been awarded to 10,493 individuals who also receive a financial grant as part of their award.