Amerie Jo Garza had only been a Girl Scout for six months, but she embodied the Girl Scout Promise to "help people at all times" when a gunman attacked her elementary school in Texas last week.
The 10-year-old fourth grader who called 911 for help in the midst of last week's mass shooting has been posthumously recognized for her bravery with one of the Girl Scouts' highest honors.
The Girl Scouts announced Tuesday that Garza was awarded the Bronze Cross “for saving or attempting to save life at the risk of the Girl Scout’s own life.”
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"Amerie did all she could to save the lives of her classmates and teachers," the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas tweeted.
Garza was one of 19 children killed in the shooting along with two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Garza's family accepted the award last week, and the Girl Scouts paid tribute to the brave little girl at her funeral on Tuesday with a presentation of colors.
The Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas also mourned Garza's loss a day after the May 24 shooting, writing on Facebook that she "loved Play-Doh, playing with friends at recess — and being a Girl Scout."
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Garza, who first became a Girl Scout in December, had already earned multiple badges and had just received an award for making the honor roll in school.
Her father, Alfred Garza III, shared his remembrances of her in an emotional interview with Savannah Guthrie on TODAY last week. She loved to make people laugh and enjoyed science experiments and drawing, he said.
"She was a real good student," he said. "She was a very good daughter, friends. Very playful, very silly.
"She was a perfect daughter."
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
