What Honor Looks Like

waltky · Aug 24, 2016

Bravery in the line of duty...

Trooper Rescues Driver From Burning Vehicle
August 23, 2016 - With the help of two others, Connecticut State Trooper Thomas Karanda was able to pull a man from a fiery wreck Tuesday morning.

David Bartlett, 58, of Glenwood Drive, was heading east on Route 72 when he lost control, hitting the guardrail and a bridge support column about 10 a.m., state police said. The car, a Pontiac Grand Prix, burst into flames with Bartlett trapped inside, state police said.

With the help of two others, Trooper Thomas Karanda was able to pull a local man out from a burning car Tuesday morning

Trooper Thomas Karanda was working at a nearby highway construction project and responded. He smashed the driver's window to get access to Bartlett.

With the help of a construction worker and passing motorist, Karanda was able to pull Bartlett from vehicle, state police said. Bartlett was taken by ambulance to Hartford Hospital for evaluation, state police said. Trooper Karanda and the other rescuers were uninjured.

http://www.officer.com/news/12248865/trooper-helps-pull-driver-from-burning-car
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N.J. Officer Catches Baby Dropped From Fire
August 23, 2016 - Sayreville Police Officer Brian Gay caught a 1-month old baby boy dropped from a fire and helped others escape the burning home Monday afternoon.

Officer Brian Gay was the first to respond to the residence at 11 Jacobsen Street around 2 p.m. when a young girl outside who had escaped told him that four more people were trapped on the second floor, according to NJ.com. He said he tried to enter the home through stairs on the exterior of the home, but the top was engulfed in flames. With the help of neighbor Daniel Hockenjos and Sayreville Fire Department First Assistant Chief George Gawron, Gay helped the remaining occupants exit the home through a window.

Sayreville Police Officer Brian Gay caught a 1-month old baby boy dropped from a fire and helped others escape the burning home Monday afternoon.

The officer broke the fall of a girl who jumped and then caught another. Gay stood ready as the 1-month-old boy was dropped to him in a carrier seat. A ladder was against the house and the woman exited the window and fell down the ladder before she was brought to the ground by Gay and Gowron. None of the occupants suffered any serious injuries and were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick as a precaution.

Sayreville Police Capt. Glenn Skarzynski said the brave efforts of Gay is a "testament to our department and departments around the nation who perform selfless acts like this every day." The 13-year veteran of the force said it was one of the most daring acts he's performed as an officer. "I'm a little shaken up, but I'll be alright," he told the newspaper. "I'm glad to see that they're okay."

http://www.officer.com/news/12248445/new-jersey-officer-catches-baby-dropped-from-fire
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Deputies Rescue Man Struck by Lightning
August 18, 2016 - Two Charlotte County Sheriff's deputies are being credited with saving the life of a man reportedly struck by lightning while jet skiing near Englewood.

Around 6:40 p.m. Sunday, the Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a 22-year-old man floating face down in gulf waters. Charlotte County Sheriff's spokesman Skip Conroy said deputy James Mills removed his duty belt and jumped in the water, "shoes and all," and swam to the man about 60 to 80 yards away. Mills dragged the man back to a floating dock where Deputy Seth Pelfry helped pull him from the water.

Deputy James Mills, left, and Deputy Seth Pelfry

Both deputies performed CPR on the man until emergency medical personnel arrived. They later discovered the victim was riding a jet ski in the gulf when a "violent thunderstorm" moved into the area, and he was hit by lightning. "Heroic is an understatement," Conroy said. "Take into the consideration the violent thunderstorm that came through; lightning and thunder at that point was pretty scary. For those guys (Mills and Pelfry) to do what they do is absolutely unbelievable. They both performed CPR on that man. He's alive today because of that. It's above and beyond."

The man was transported to an area hospital, where Conroy said he is recovering from his injuries.

http://www.officer.com/news/12246387/florida-deputies-rescue-man-struck-by-lightning
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waltky · Aug 28, 2016

Yes, there are good cops in the world...

Troopers Care for Baby Found During Arrest
August 25, 2016 - Troopers B.R. Wood and D.C. Graham bathed the baby, who was discovered covered in vomit in the backseat of an alleged DUI driver's vehicle.

A baby discovered covered in vomit in the backseat of an alleged DUI driver's vehicle found a safe haven and compassionate caregivers at the West Virginia State Police Princeton detachment Tuesday evening. Around 5 p.m. Tuesday, Princeton troopers made a Driving Under the Influence arrest about a mile from their headquarters on Oakvale Road. "We made an arrest for DUI," said trooper B.R. Wood, with the Princeton detachment. "The 1-year-old baby boy was in the backseat covered in vomit. The vehicle was disabled, so we brought the baby boy back to the detachment."

Trooper D.C. Graham washed up the 1-year-old baby boy in the break room, wrapped him in a towel and held him until child protective services arrived.

Wood said Senior Trooper D.C. Graham gave the baby a bath in the sink of the detachment's break room/kitchenette, wrapped him in a towel, and then cradled him until Child Protective Service officials arrived. "He was the best little baby. He had just started to nod off when CPS (Child Protective Services) arrived," Wood said. Wood said the baby had been sick for some time. "Apparently, he had been under the weather for a bit." "The baby has now been placed with a legal guardian," Wood said "He is safe at this time and under the supervision of CPS."

Wood said the baby was in a car seat at the time of the traffic stop. Wood said the driver of the vehicle faces a charge of DUI with a minor, which carries a misdemeanor penalty of not less than two days or more than 12 months in jail, and a fine of not less than $200 or more than $1,000.

http://www.officer.com/news/12249946/west-virginia-troopers-care-for-baby-found-during-dui-arrest
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Officer Undergoes Surgery After Fire Rescue
August 25, 2016 - A Pittsburg officer who helped rescue a blind man from a burning house underwent surgery to repair serious injuries to his forearm Thursday morning.

The officer punched open a window with his bare hand after residents in the first block of West 11th Street told police that a man was inside a house consumed with smoke and flames Wednesday night. The 65-year-old inside suffered smoke inhalation but is expected to survive. Police have not identified either man. "This is definitely a reunion, down the road, that we'll love to have," Pittsburg police spokesman Capt. Ron Raman said. "It wasn't just this officer, either. There were several involved."

Police were the first ones to the fire, which began around 7:25 p.m. According to Raman, the officer who punched the glass did so to get inside. But the injury prevented it, and he began to kick in a nearby front door with other officers. It took several kicks to the door to get it open, Raman said. "The door opens and there's about two feet of crawl space underneath dark, really thick smoke," Raman said.

A Pittsburg police officer who helped rescue a blind man from a burning house underwent surgery Thursday morning to repair serious injuries to his forearm.

Another officer crawled through the front door and underneath the smoke until he felt the resident inside. Then that officer and three others -- including the injured one -- carried the man out of the house. He was unconscious and unresponsive initially, and officers struggled to find a pulse, Raman said. They began CPR, and eventually the man's pulse returned.

Fire crews gave the man oxygen, and an ambulance took him to the hospital. "It wasn't until the officers gave him a few breaths during the CPR that he finally came back," Raman said. "It did not look good at all when they pulled him from the house." Fire officials have not said what caused the fire, but it appeared to have started accidentally in the rear of the home, said Robert Marshall, a Fire Marshal and spokesman for the Contra Costa Fire Protection District. The fire caused about $202,000 to the house, and it was unclear whether it could be salvaged.

http://www.officer.com/news/12250082/california-police-officer-undergoes-surgery-after-fire-rescue
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waltky · Aug 30, 2016

Single-handedly fought off al-Qaida fighters in an attempt to protect arriving reinforcements...

Air Force Seeks Medal of Honor for Sergeant Who Died in 2002
Aug 28, 2016 | The secretary of the Air Force is pushing to award a Medal of Honor to the first Connecticut native to die in the war in Afghanistan, based on new evidence 14 years after his death, the New York Times reported.

Air Force Sgt. John Chapman, 36, a standout athlete and 1983 graduate of Windsor Locks High School, was killed in combat after military action began in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He died on March 4, 2002, while attempting to retrieve the body of a Navy SEAL who had fallen from a helicopter during an attack by al Qaida and Taliban fighters, according to previous Courant reports. But new evidence unearthed by the Air Force about Chapman's final hours suggests that a senior chief petty officer may have been incorrect when he declared Chapman dead during the attack, the New York Times reported.

Instead, the Air Force said, Chapman lived for an hour after his teammates had retreated, fighting enemy troops alone, according to the newspaper report. New technology used in an examination of videos from aircraft flying overhead indicate that Chapman killed two Al Qaida fighters before "dying in an attempt to protect arriving reinforcements," the newspaper reported.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Chapman, who died in an attack by Al-Quaida and Taliban forces, is being considered for the Medal of Honor.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said on Saturday that, in the wake of the new information, he is looking forward to contacting the Secretary of Defense to help take the next step in awarding Chapman with the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award. "I support moving forward with the Medal of Honor for Sgt. Chapman because he unquestionably died a hero fighting for his country," Blumenthal said. "We may never know exactly what happened during the final hours of that fight but, undoubtedly, Sgt. Chapman died a hero."

Chapman joined the Air Force in 1985 and later became a combat controller with the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, based at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina, where he lived with his wife, Valerie, and daughters, Madison and Brianna. Chapman had been credited with saving the rest of his team, and a memorial was built for him at an Air Force base in Alabama. He received a citation for the Air Force Cross, the second-highest honor for an airman.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/...dal-honor-ct-native-who-died-afghanistan.html
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Green Beret Killed by IED Was on Patrol with Afghan Special Forces
Aug 26, 2016 | The Green Beret killed in Afghanistan was with Afghan special forces on a NATO advisory mission, a military spokesman said.

A Green Beret killed by an improvised explosive device Tuesday was patrolling with an Afghan special forces team moving on foot against the Taliban, the chief U.S. military spokesman in Kabul said Thursday. Army Staff Sgt. Matthew V. Thompson was on a NATO advisory mission on the outskirts of embattled Lashkar Gah. Thompson, 28, of Irvine, California, was assigned to Company "A," 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. He was in an advisory role under NATO's Resolute Support mission, but his death came in what was described as combat.

In a video briefing from Kabul to the Pentagon, Army Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland referred to statements in May by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on how non-combat missions can quickly turn into combat in Afghanistan and elsewhere. "These are non-combat missions," Cleveland said, but Afghanistan is inherently dangerous and troops assigned forward as advisers can often "find themselves in combat situations." A second U.S. soldier was wounded by the IED blast that killed Thompson and six Afghans. "He's still here in Afghanistan, still receiving treatment. He is stable," Cleveland said of the wounded soldier, without describing his injuries further.

Staff Sgt. Matthew V. Thompson, 28, of Irvine, California, died Aug. 23, 2016, of wounds received from an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

U.S. troops acting as advisers also moved forward with Afghan Ministry of Interior forces in response to the militant attack on the American University in Kabul on Wednesday that killed at least 16 and wounded dozens, Cleveland said. However, the U.S. advisers were not believed to have entered the campus where two gunmen shot bystanders after a suicide car attack on the front gate, he said. Cleveland disputed local and international media reports that the university attack and the threat to Lashkar Gah in southeastern Helmand province are only the latest incidents in a deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

Cleveland acknowledged that the Afghan National Defense Security Forces are taking casualties at a pace that exceeds that of 2015, when more than 20,000 were killed or wounded in what was the worst year for them since U.S. troops first entered Afghanistan in late 2001. "For many militaries, that would break their backs," Cleveland said of the Afghan casualty rate, but the Afghan forces continue to make progress despite the attack on the university, Taliban advances in Helmand and northern Kunduz, and the presence in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province of the ISIS offshoot called Islamic State-Khorasan province, he said. "Overall, we believe the ANDSF is performing better this year than last year. We believe generally they are on a positive trajectory," Cleveland said. "I don't want to sound like I'm understating the Taliban," Cleveland said, but "we don't believe the situation is as dire as portrayed in the press" in Helmand. "They have had some local successes. Overall, we do not believe Lashkar Gah is about to fall."

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waltky · Sep 2, 2016

Honoring the honorable...

Sports star Travis Rudolph joins autistic boy for lunch
Thu, 01 Sep 2016 - A Florida American Football star chose to eat lunch with a lonely autistic child, moving the boy's mother to tears.

The mother of an autistic child said she was moved to tears when a visiting American Football star joined her son, who was eating alone at school. Travis Rudolph, a wide receiver for Florida State, was visiting a school in Tallahassee on Tuesday when he saw Bo Paske sitting by himself. His mother, Leah, posted a photo to Facebook, where it quickly went viral. She said that since that day her son had had no problem finding people to have lunch with him. "This is one day I didn't have to worry if my sweet boy ate lunch alone," she said. "He sat across from someone who is a hero in many eyes. Travis Rudolph thank you so much, you made this momma exceedingly happy, and have made us fans for life!"

Travis Rudolph, the wide receiver for Florida State, eating lunch with Bo Paske

She also wrote about her memories of middle school being difficult, and how she worries about Bo. "Sometimes I'm grateful for his autism. That may sound like a terrible thing to say, but in some ways I think, I hope, it shields him. "He doesn't seem to notice when people stare at him when he flaps his hands. He doesn't seem to notice that he doesn't get invited to birthday parties anymore. And he doesn't seem to mind if he eats lunch alone." She said the small moment captured in the photo has had a "huge impact".

The small act of kindness was picked up by both local and national newspapers. Rudolph, one of several players visiting the school that day, said he wasn't expecting the huge reaction. "We just had a great conversation. He started off, telling me his name was Bo, telling me how much he loves Florida State. We went from there,'' said the West Palm Beach, Florida, native, now beginning his junior season. "I just wanted to go say hi to the kid, because I saw him eating alone. I didn't even know anybody took a photo of it,'' he said. "I'm glad it can bring awareness to helping others.'' "It was real easy... you'd never think anything was wrong with him. He had a nice smile on his face. Just a really warm person." Leah Paske says her son now has no shortage of lunch companions, and "everyone was super welcoming." Bo was also excited by all the attention. "It's been awesome. Everyone was so proud of me,'' he said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-37243010
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Officer Honored for Saving Woman's Life
August 31, 2016 - Oxford Police Officer Andrew Miller on Tuesday stood before the Oxford City Council, Oxford residents and several fellow officers as Oxford police Chief Bill Partridge bestowed the city's Life Saving Commendation upon him for his quick.

On Aug. 10, Oxford police Officer Andrew Miller walked into roll call at 6 p.m., then was immediately sent to a home on Eden Place in the Knoxville community, he said Tuesday. "We were in the door and right back out the door," Miller said, turning over a clear plastic case in his hand, a red pin with a gold cross inside. "It came out as a basic shots-fired call. We didn't know what it was we were going into. On the way we got more information that people had actually been shot." When Miller arrived, he said, he discovered Sirita Spell on her front lawn, a gunshot wound in each leg. Miller pulled the tourniquet from his belt and another from a medical kit and put one each on Spell's legs just above the gunshot wounds, he said, a decision that ultimately allowed her to make it to UAB Hospital without dying of blood loss.

Miller on Tuesday stood before the Oxford City Council, Oxford residents and several fellow officers as Oxford police Chief Bill Partridge bestowed the city's Life Saving Commendation upon him for his quick thinking. It is the first time the award has been given to an Oxford officer in the nine years Partridge has been chief, he said by phone last week. A domestic dispute between Spell and her husband, Reginald Tyrone Spell, 41, led neighbors to call 911 that day, Oxford Capt. L.G. Owens said earlier this month. When Miller arrived at the home, Reginald Spell was dead, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the couple's daughter was nearby, said Ketrina Wright, Sirita Spell's older sister. Reginald Spell had shot his wife then fatally shot himself, Owens said.

Oxford Police Officer Andrew Miller on Tuesday stood before the Oxford City Council, Oxford residents and several fellow officers as Oxford police Chief Bill Partridge bestowed the city's Life Saving Commendation upon him for his quick.

Wright, who was at the award ceremony on behalf of her sister, said she felt blessed Miller was the one to respond. "If he wasn't there, she probably would have bled out at the scene, and her daughter was there so it just means so much to us," Wright said, wiping tears from her face. "Just happy to have someone like that to step up and take charge and save her." Wright said Spell has made improvements and is currently undergoing physical therapy. "We are just praying she will make a full recovery," she said.

Partridge said that this kind of incident and response happens every day. "Today we are able to honor an individual who doesn't look for accolades, just like the 99.9 percent of the other officers across america," the chief said. "This is the type of stuff that we need to let America know about, this is what we do every day. I always say quality police officers, quality training and quality equipment saves lives." Miller echoed Partridge's comments. "We don't go out looking for trouble," he said. "We're here to help people and that one event made all the other mess worth it. That's what we live for. That's the call we live for. Making a difference and someone gets to go home to their family because of that."

http://www.officer.com/news/12251870/alabama-officer-honored-for-saving-womans-life
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Medal of Honor Recipient Serenaded on 92nd Birthday
Sep 01, 2016 A Medal of Honor recipient has celebrated his 92nd birthday with the help of 50 Navy petty officers who serenaded him outside his home.

The sailors sang "Happy Birthday" and "Anchors Aweigh" to former Navy combat pilot Capt. Thomas Hudner, then presented him with a birthday cake and shook his hand during the ceremony Wednesday at his home in Concord, Massachusetts.

Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Thomas Hudner, who was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Truman, poses on the porch at his home in Concord, Mass.

Hudner did not speak, but he stood and saluted. His son, Thomas Hudner III, said his father was "humbled and moved" by the show of affection.

Hudner was awarded the Medal of Honor during the Korean War after his plane came under enemy fire and he crash-landed in an unsuccessful effort to save the life of his wingman and friend, Ensign Jesse Brown, the Navy's first black combat pilot.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/09/01/medal-honor-recipient-serenaded-92nd-birthday.html
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HailVictory · Sep 2, 2016

waltky said: ↑

Now I know what honor looks like...

What honor looks like: The flash mob at Gate 38 of Reagan National Airport
May 23, 2012 - Honor is a hard term to describe. It doesnt have a color or weight or shape. If someone were to ask me what honor looked like, Id probably struggle with what to say.
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God Bless!

waltky · Sep 14, 2016

Too young to be this sick...

Community honors firefighter battling cancer in a big way
Tuesday, September 13th 2016 - Highview Fire Maj. Kevin Bayens was inducted to the Fairdale High School Fire & EMS Academy as he battles cancer.

Tucked away inside the halls of Fairdale High School is the Fire & EMS Academy. It's the launchpad for teens interested in a life of servicethe life of a first responders. "It exposes the kids to some of the work our emergency responders do and prepares them for careers in those fields," said Jefferey Birt, Fairdale High School Fire and EMS Academy instructor. The Fire and EMS Academy has been around for nearly two decades. During that time, countless teens have received their diplomas as well as real-world training. Many of them have gone on to be professional firefighters.

But one graduate of the program, in particular, has made his mark. "When you think of the fire service, you think of Kevin Bayens," said Jordan Yuodis, a fireman with the Buechel Fire Department. "His name is so big in the community." Added Highview Fire Chief Dave Goldsmith: "He's not just a firefighter. He's not just a major. He's not just our fire marshal. He's a family member." Bayens is the man his fellow firefighters can't stop raving about. "If there's anybody in the fire service these students should strive to be, it's Kevin," Yuodis said. Bayens graduated from the Fire & EMS Academy back in 1999. He jumped from the classroom to fighting fires with the Highview Fire Department right after getting his diploma.

Highview Fire Department Maj. Kevin Bayens was diagnosed with cancer last Thanksgiving.

He's risen to the rank of major of the Highview Fire Department. He was recently promoted to fire marshal, and has racked up several awards and saved countless lives along the way. Bayens also regularly volunteers to train the next wave of first responders; he comes back to the academy to teach eager high school students. By all accounts, he's a stand-up guy and a true hero in the community. But every story has a villain and this one has a familiar foe: cancer. He was diagnosed with cancer on Thanksgiving Day last year. Doctors warn his days are numbered. For the guys who know him, it's been a hard pill to swallow. But instead of getting down when they heard to news, his fellow firefighters got to action.

Yuodis organized a big surprise that hid behind a small banner, hung on the walls of the Fire & EMS Academy. "I knew at some point he wouldn't be around," Yuodis said. "I didn't want the students who are coming through this program now and future students to not know who Kevin was." That's when they decided to honor Bayens by inducting him into the Fire & EMS Academy Hall of Fame, but first they had to start one. After months of planning, Bayens was finally presented the honor in front of dozens of students, fellow firefighters, his chief, his family, and most importantly, his wife. "The reason we are here today is to induct Major Kevin Bayens of the Highview Fire Department into the Fire & EMS Academy Hall of Fame," Yuodis announced to a roar of applause.

With that, Bayens' name was etched into history. The look of shock, gratitude and amazement was visible on his face. "I had no clue ... kinda shocked," Bayens said. "I knew something was up when I saw my wife." His wife Hillary was in on the surprise. She said she's thankful for the community's support and that his legacy will now live on forever. "I want them to know Kevin's legacy - that he loved helping everyone," she said. "That's what the fire service is all about."

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waltky · Oct 6, 2016

The littlest superhero with the biggest heart...

Superheroes honor school shooting victim dressed as Batman
October 5, 2016 Six-year-old Jacob Hall was dressed as Batman for his funeral on Wednesday, and many of more than 1,000 mourners appeared as superheroes to honor the school shooting victim. The first-grader's mother, choking back tears, wore a Robin costume.

Jacob's family had asked mourners to celebrate the boy's life by dressing as the superheroes he loved, and so they did. Captain Americas and Wonder Women filed past his small blue casket, along with Supermen and Supergirls, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers. His teachers came in handmade blue capes with a Ninja Turtle face and Jacob's name. Jacob loved to pretend he was a superhero, imagining himself as the good guy, the Rev. David Blizzard recalled. He encouraged mourners to honor his wishes by forgiving the 14-year-old boy charged with killing him at Townville Elementary School. "Preacher, I know what Jacob would say to me," Blizzard said Jacob's mother, Renae Hall, told him. "He'd say, 'Mama, forgive that boy and love him like Jesus loves him because Jesus loves him.' That's exactly what Jacob would probably say."

Blizzard also referred to the nine people killed in last year's church shooting inside the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, reminding the crowd that their families forgave that shooter. "We have the same Jesus that Mother Emanuel had, and we can do the same thing if we choose to," Blizzard said, because "a superhero story is about good versus evil. The good always wins. We live in a dark world, but the good's going to win." Jacob died Saturday from a bullet that struck the main artery in his thigh. Authorities said the 14-year-old killed his own father, then drove to the school and sprayed gunfire. Jacob's classmate and a first-grade teacher also were struck by bullets, and were treated and released from a hospital. The teen faces charges of murder, attempted murder and weapons possession.

Starr Henderson, 12, of Belton, cries after seeing her nephew Jacob Hall during a wake service at Oakdale Baptist Church in Townville, S.C., Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2016. Jacob, a classmate and a teacher were shot last Wednesday as they left for recess. Authorities say the suspect, a 14-year-old boy, had shot his father to death before driving to Townville Elementary. The other student and teacher were treated and released from a hospital that day.

A capacity crowd of more than 500 squeezed into the church's sanctuary. Hundreds more watched live feeds in the gym and the youth building, and still others waited outside the Oakdale Baptist Church. A thousand programs were handed out before the funeral began. A 6-year-old friend from church, Lily Gunby, wore a pink and black Superman shirt. She said Jacob "was really sweet," and "knew a lot about Jesus." Lily's uncle Derek Gunby says Jacob was "the cutest thing ever" at Bible school.John Buckland drove his Batmobile from West Virginia to attend the funeral. Wearing full Batman garb, he gave the kids posters saying "Tough things make me stronger." "Keep an eye on each other. Care about each other, love each other. If someone's in trouble, reach out and give them the help they need, because Jacob would," Buckland said.

Students won't return to Townville Elementary until Thursday. But the district's other five schools planned to honor Jacob by participating in Superhero Day, with all employees and students invited to come to school in costume. A Facebook page created for Superhero Day said schools across the state planned to participate, but in central and coastal South Carolina, schools were closed in advance of Hurricane Matthew District Superintendent Joanne Avery also announced a moment of silence at 1:42 p.m. Wednesday, to mark one week since the shooting.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/superheroes-honor-school-shooting-victim-dressed-batman
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waltky · Oct 11, 2016

Just in the nick of time...

Ark. Deputy Rescues Man From Fiery Wreck
October 10, 2016 - Pulaski County Deputy Sam Brandon pulled a man from a burning vehicle Sunday afternoon.

Deputy Sam Brandon spotted a white SUV drive off McCain Boulevard and into a North Little Rock Shell station around 4 p.m., according to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Officials said that the vehicle and a pool of gasoline surrounding it immediately went up in flames as the male driver inside sat unconscious. "I U-turned, and thankfully, there was a parking lot full of good Samaritans," Brandon told the newspaper.

Pulaski County Deputy Sam Brandon pulled a man from a burning vehicle Sunday afternoon.

The deputy parked his patrol car and ran to the burning vehicle, but the door wouldn't open. He then crawled through the window, cut off the man;s seat belt and attempted to pull him through a window, but was unsuccessful. As smoke filled the SUV, several of the people in the lot helped control the fire and assisted in the rescue. A tow truck arrived as Brandon struggled to remove the victim and, with the assistance to the tow truck driver, he hooked the tow truck to the door to break open the door.

The tactic worked and Brandon moved the man to safety before an ambulance transported him to a local hospital. The man's wife later told Brandon that her husband has a history of seizures, which could have caused the crash. Brand was quick to give credit to those who assisted in the rescue, saying that he's not a hero. "This wasn't a one-man job," he said.

http://www.officer.com/news/12267123/arkansas-deputy-rescues-man-from-fiery-wreck
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Trooper Buys Meal for Couple in Need
October 6, 2016 - Trooper Sean Wallace asked the man to take a seat in his cruiser and went back inside the store and soon returned to the car with a chicken the man was panhandling to buy.

Saturday evening, a New Jersey State Police trooper was on patrol when he was called about a panhandler outside a food store in Hainesport Township. When Trooper Sean Wallace arrived about 9:30 p.m., the store manager expressed concern about the man outside who had been asking customers for money. Earlier in the day, the manager explained, he had asked the man to leave. A two-minute police video, posted on the state police Facebook page (www.facebook.com/NewJerseyStatePolice), tells the rest of the story:

"What's going on?" the trooper asks the unidentified man. The man says he needs money to buy a rotisserie chicken for him and his wife. "That's my only problem," he says. He and his wife had not eaten since using the last of their money for breakfast at Burger King, he adds. The trooper asks him to take a seat in his cruiser and then goes back inside the store. Soon, the trooper returns to the car with a chicken he purchased, telling the man, "C'mon, let's go."

Loitering and panhandling are not allowed, Wallace tells the man, urging him to go home with the food and warning him not to return to panhandle, or "It's going to be different, all right?" The man agrees, turning briefly toward police, "Thanks guys." The Facebook post notes that the trooper, with less than two years on the force, "handled this situation like a 20-year veteran with a heart of gold."

Trooper Wallace was not available for an interview Wednesday, and it was unclear whose camera captured his encounter with the man soliciting outside the food store. As of Wednesday afternoon, the video had been viewed more than 80,000 times and shared more than 700 times. The hundreds of comments on the post include these: "Love and support from one man to another" and "God bless that Trooper. He showed the core values of the New Jersey State Police which is Honor Duty and Fidelity."

http://www.officer.com/news/12266148/video-new-jersey-trooper-buys-meal-for-couple-in-need
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waltky · Nov 8, 2016

Good on `em...

VIDEO: Gary Sinise Foundation Builds Home for Paralyzed Police Officer
November 8, 2016 | The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that the Gary Sinise Foundation is building a home for a paralyzed police officer.

According to police, on July 8 Officer Michael Flamion of the Ballwin, Missouri Police Department was shot in the neck from behind by a man he had stopped for speeding. The bullet severed Officer Flamion's spine, paralyzing him from the neck down. The Gary Sinise Foundation is known for building special homes for wounded veterans, but also, according to its website, serves "defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need." The foundation builds "smart homes," places specially modified for ease of use by people with disabilities.

The Flamions are at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., which specializes in spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. The husband and wife made a video thanking the Sinise Foundation and the support of the public. Hi, Im Officer Mike Flamion and this is my wife, Sarah, Officer Flamion says. Were very thankful and excited for the Gary Sinise Foundation thats helping us build a house. We are very thankful for all of the people who have donated time and money to the foundation to help us get a modified home for Mike, his wife adds.

Ballwin Police Chief Kevin Scott said at a press conference Thursday that Flamion is expected to return to St. Louis in mid- to late November. Scott called Flamion the bravest man Ive ever known.

http://www.cnsnews.com/blog/mark-ju...undation-builds-home-paralyzed-police-officer
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Missouri Group Helps Families of Fallen Officers
November 4, 2016 - The family of a St. Francois County deputy sheriff is the sixth this year to get assistance from BackStoppers.

Paul Clark, 55, died July 4 from injuries he suffered when his patrol car was struck by a vehicle fleeing a traffic stop in October 2015. He suffered a broken back that required multiple surgeries. BackStoppers is helping Clark's wife and two adult children. The non-profit provides financial support to the spouses and dependent children of first responders who suffer a catastrophic injury or die in the line of duty in parts of Missouri and Illinois.

Backstoppers insignia

The organization is now helping 81 families of first responders, including the families of fallen St. Louis County police Officer Blake Snyder and wounded Ballwin Officer Michael Flamion. "We recognize the tremendous sacrifices public servants make every day when they go to work," Ron Battelle, executive director of BackStoppers, said in a press release. "We understand the burdens placed on surviving spouses and children when tragedies occur and believe our community has an obligation to care for the loved ones of those who have died in the line of duty."

Clark served in the St. Francois County Sheriff's department for 13 years. Before that he served in the Park Hills Police Department for five years. He will be honored at Backstoppers' largest annual fundraiser, the Budweiser Guns 'N Hoses boxing event Nov. 23 at the Scottrade Center. The event pits firefighters against police officers in the boxing ring and garners between $200,000 and $300,000 for the group.

http://www.officer.com/news/12276359/missouri-group-helps-families-of-fallen-officers
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waltky · Nov 19, 2016

Norton's Children's Hospital is the former Kosair Children's Hosp. - the premier pediatric hospital in this region...

Off-Duty Trooper Helps Save Young Girl's Life
November 18, 2016 - Kentucky State Police Trooper Josh Cummings was on his way home from a gym about 3 p.m. when he drove up on a one-vehicle accident Wednesday.

An off-duty Kentucky State Police trooper helped save the life of a 4-year-old girl Wednesday afternoon in Elizabethtown. Trooper Josh Cummings was on his way home from a gym about 3 p.m. when he drove up on a one-vehicle accident on the U.S. 31 West bypass, according to state police. Several people had already stopped to check on the people in the vehicle.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Josh Cummings was on his way home from a gym about 3 p.m. when he drove up on a one-vehicle accident Wednesday.

When Cummings stopped to help, he saw Mark Wood holding a 4-year-old girl who wasn't breathing, according to state police. The men began giving the girl CPR, with Cummings giving chest compressions and Wood giving rescue breaths, according to state police. They were able to get the girl to start breathing and kept her breathing until an ambulance arrived.

The girl was eventually flown to Norton Children's Hospital, according to state police. She is now listed in stable condition. The crash is under investigation by the Elizabethtown police.

http://www.officer.com/news/12280633/off-duty-trooper-helps-save-young-girls-life
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Girl Forgoes Birthday to Buy Vests for K-9's
November 18, 2016 - For the past few years, Alexis Mattingly has asked for charitable donations instead of birthday gifts and this year chose to donate to Spike's K9 Fund.

For the past few years, Alexis Mattingly has asked for charitable donations instead of birthday gifts. The SPCA, Humane Society, Hope 4 Life, and Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia are some of the previous recipients of her generosity. This year, for her 10th birthday, she decided on a new one after watching the news on TV. "I saw Anderson Cooper talking about them," said Alexis, a fourth grader at John B. Dey Elementary School in Virginia Beach. The longtime CNN anchor was talking about ballistic vests for K-9 officers. Cooper donated all of his fees from a Norfolk speaking event earlier this year to Spike's K9 Fund after learning about the death of Krijger, a Norfolk K-9 officer killed during a police standoff in January. More donations poured in when Cooper tweeted about Krijger to his 7 million Twitter followers.

Alexis decided she wanted to help too. She told her mother, Holly, about her plans in August, two months before her Oct. 9 birthday. She also broke the news about the cost of each vest: $2,500. "When she told me I said, 'Oh, we should start now and maybe by the time you're 12 we'll have enough," Holly Mattingly said. "But once she starts something, she doesn't stop." Alexis' cousins, Coryn Sandler, 9, and Reese Sandler, 8, joined in. The three baked cookies, brownies, fudge, homemade dog and cat treats and made various crafts to sell. Family members advertised their efforts on Facebook. "People were so inspired by what she was doing and about how these dogs needed the vests," Holly Mattingly said. "They were very generous. Cookies went for like $20."

For the past few years, Alexis Mattingly has asked for charitable donations instead of birthday gifts and this year chose to donate to Spike's K9 Fund.

Within a month, well before her birthday, Alexis and her cousins had raised all the money needed. But they kept fundraising and collected $3,500 in all. On Wednesday, they presented a check to Jake Jacocks, a retired police chief and president of the Virginia Beach Police Foundation. The foundation has been helping raise funds for the vests. The girls and other recent donors then got a chance to see some of the K-9s in their vests. As a result of donations like theirs and Cooper's, all 61 police dogs in Hampton Roads now have ballistic vests, said Jimmy Hatch, a retired Navy SEAL and founder of Spike's K9 Fund. Virginia Beach has enough for all 16 of its current K-9 officers and for five future ones, Jacocks said. The department retires an average of two dogs per year and the vests must be specifically fitted for each. The vest that Alexis paid for will go to one of the future K-9 officers and will have her name embroidered on it, Jacocks said.

Holly Mattingly credited the girls' grandmother, Arlene Owens, as being the one who taught them to be so giving. Owens takes them to the Foodbank every summer and works with them to make food bags for the homeless. "I've always tried to teach them about 'tzedaka' -- about charity," Owens said. "There is always someone less fortunate than you and their role is to give back."

http://www.officer.com/news/12280635/girl-forgoes-birthday-to-buy-vests-for-k-9s
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Hoosier8 · Nov 19, 2016

Proud of my uncle who won a Silver Star during the World War II Prum River campaign fighting the Germans. He won it as a reconnaissance officer that was trapped on the German side of a River under heavy German machine gun fire. He was a swimmer and took each man one by one and swam them underwater to the other side. He started out with 20 men and lost 13.

APACHERAT · Nov 20, 2016

Hoosier8 said: ↑

Proud of my uncle who won a Silver Star during the World War II Prum River campaign fighting the Germans. He won it as a reconnaissance officer that was trapped on the German side of a River under heavy German machine gun fire. He was a swimmer and took each man one by one and swam them underwater to the other side. He started out with 20 men and lost 13.
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I have two uncles on my father side both WIA in Europe by German machine guns.

Where as the Americans and British machine guns were used to support the rifleman laying down suppressive fire, it was the other way around with the Germans. It was the German rifleman who supported the German machine gun.

waltky · Nov 28, 2016

Major Bayens loses battle with pancreatic cancer...

Local firefighters say goodbye to one of their own
November 27, 2016 - Local firefighters say goodbye to one of their own

This morning firefighters in Jefferson County are saying their final goodbyes to one of their own. Thirty-five-year-old Major Kevin Bayens of the Highview Fire Department died last week after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Bayens started his career back in 1999 and worked with firefighters from around the world. He even had ties to us here at WHAS11, co-hosting the Fire Service television program In the Line of Fire with meteorologist Reed Yadon.

Visitation will be held today from noon until 8 p.m. at Resthaven Funeral Home on Bardstown Road. His funeral is set for Monday morning at 10 at the Highview Baptist Church on Fegenbush Lane.

http://www.whas11.com/news/local-firefighters-say-goodbye-to-one-of-their-own/356224814
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waltky · Nov 30, 2016

Quick action ends lone wolf jihadi attack...

Ohio State Officer Lauded for Stopping Attack
November 29, 2016 - Officer Alan Horujko, who had been in the area on another call, arrived on the scene within a minute and fatally shot Abdul Razak Ali Artan Monday.

The man who drove a car into a crowd of students at Ohio State University on Monday and then attacked bystanders with a butcher knife, injuring at least 11, has been identified as a student at the university, and officials are investigating whether terrorism was a motive. The attacker, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, who authorities said was about 20 years old, was shot and killed by a university police officer who arrived and brought Artan down within a minute, officials said. "This happened right before his eyes," campus Police Chief Craig Stone said of Officer Alan Horujko, 28, who had been in the area on another call. In a previous news conference, Stone said Artan had not "followed" the officer's commands and "the officer did what he had to do to end the threat."

Officer Alan Horujko

Local officials have not suggested a motive for Artan's actions, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich urged caution while the investigation unfolds. "It's our job to let the investigation take its due course, and at the end of the day we'll find out what happened," Kasich said. "We may never find out [why], but we're going to have a lot more information.... Right now we have to have patience." After receiving a briefing on the attack, U.S. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), the top Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said the incident "bears all of the hallmarks of a terror attack carried out by someone who may have been self-radicalized." His office declined to release more information on how he reached that conclusion. "The intelligence community is providing all necessary information and support to law enforcement as they investigate this individual's motivations and background, and we hope to know much more very soon," Schiff said in a statement.

An anonymous U.S. official told the Associated Press that Artan was born in Somalia and was a permanent U.S. resident. In an interview given to the Lantern campus newspaper in August, Artan said he was a Muslim and a new transfer student. Citing negative portrayals of Muslims in the media, he said he was confused and "scared" about where to pray on campus. "I just transferred from Columbus State. We had prayer rooms, like actual rooms where we could go to pray because we Muslims have to pray five times a day," Artan told the Lantern. "I wanted to pray in the open, but I was kind of scared with everything going on in the media," Artan said. "I'm a Muslim, it's not what the media portrays me to be. If people look at me, a Muslim praying, I don't know what they're going to think, what's going to happen." Artan said he decided to pray in a corner.

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Ga. Deputy Pulls Clerk From Gas Station Fire
November 29, 2016 - Flames trapped a store clerk early Monday when a car crashed into the fuel pumps and hit the building.

Just before 2 a.m. at the Circle K at 3802 Northside Drive, a 2014 Toyota Camry hit the curb at the Elnora Drive entrance, clipped the landscaping and hit a fuel pump. "It's amazing no one was killed," said a man waiting for a work crew to begin repairs at the convenience store next to The Wellness Center, Navicent Health. Bibb County sheriff's Deputy Scott Rickert was patrolling nearby and witnessed the accident.

The pump was torn from the fuel island and smashed into the front corner of the building where it erupted into flames. The clerk, working inside the protective glass compartment, could not open the door to escape. Bibb County deputies were patrolling the area and responded immediately. Rickert pulled the clerk over the counter and out of the window of the cashier's compartment, said Macon-Bibb Fire Battalion Chief Todd Alligood.

Flames trapped a store clerk early Monday when a car crashed into the fuel pumps and hit the building.

The other deputy chased and apprehended the fleeing driver, Howard McKinney III, of Stockbridge, who was charged with driving under the influence. McKinney smelled of alcohol, admitted he had a few drinks earlier and failed a field sobriety test, according to the arrest report. McKinney was taken to Coliseum Northside Hospital and gave the nurse permission to try one time to draw his blood.

The nurse was not able to get a vein on the first try, and McKinney refused to be stuck again, the report noted. A Circle K manager on site was not able to comment, but it appears the store could be closed for weeks. Northside Drive was blocked for a couple of hours and a fire crew watched the building overnight. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office is investigating the crash.

http://www.officer.com/news/12282837/georgia-deputy-pulls-clerk-from-gas-station-fire
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waltky · Dec 20, 2016

Families of Slain Officers assisted by Assist the Officer...

Charities Step Up for Families of Slain Officers
December 20, 2016 - On Tuesday, Dallas city officials and two private foundations will announce that they raised a total of $10 million in the aftermath of the downtown attack.

Emily Thompson didn't think much about finances after her new husband was killed in the July 7 ambush. She didn't think much about anything beyond her grief. "It was probably a couple weeks because my mind was so jumbled for quite a while. Everybody was the adults in Charlie Brown," she said. "Everything that they said was 'wah-wah-wah.' I was completely detached." But now, Thompson, who is also a police officer, won't have to think about money. She won't have to worry about working overtime and being away from her 2-year-old son and paying her mortgage.

Private donors from all over the world have given the families a soft landing in the hardest of times. On Tuesday, Dallas city officials and two private foundations will announce that they raised a total of $10 million in the aftermath of the downtown attack. That money will go into trusts for the family members of the five officers killed: Brent Thompson, a Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer, 43; Dallas police Sgt. Michael Smith, 55; Senior Cpl. Lorne Ahrens, 48; Officers Michael Krol, 40, and Patrick Zamarripa, 32. Some of the money will go to the nine people injured in the attack.

New York-based Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced Monday that it would pay off the mortgages of the families of the five officers killed or give them money to buy homes.

All told, the Dallas Foundation and the Assist the Officer Foundation received thousands of contributions from all 50 states, Australia, the United Kingdom and Italy. Donations ranged from $5 to more than $250,000. "It has been amazing to see the generosity," Emily Thompson said. More details will be announced at a 1 p.m. news conference featuring Mayor Mike Rawlings, interim Police Chief David Pughes, DART Police Chief J.D. Spiller and foundation leaders.

In a prepared statement, Rawlings said he is "so honored by the amount of people who have stepped forward to properly assist our fallen and injured officers." "We owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to the officers who lost or risked their lives to keep us safe," he said. "Out of one of the darkest days in our city's history, we have seen an incredible outpouring of love and support from organizations and individuals all over the world."

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Officers Replace Girl's Stolen Birthday Presents
December 20, 2016 - Two big-hearted police officers saved a little girl's fourth birthday by replacing gifts that were stolen from the Graniteville family's minivan over the weekend.

On Saturday, the Sietz family celebrated little Samantha (Sammi) Sietz's birthday with a party at the Staten Island Children's Museum in Livingston. "It was a perfect day. Sammi was so excited," said her mother, Kim Briano Sietz. She said the party helped take her mind off her late husband, Matthew, who died three years ago of a brain aneurysm; he would have turned 46 on Saturday.

With Sammi's birthday presents still wrapped and out of sight in the back of the family's Sienna minivan, the family stopped at Perkin's restaurant in Graniteville on the way home, Sietz said. They were inside the restaurant from 7:30 until about 9 p.m., she said. When the family returned to their minivan, they found the rear passenger window had been shattered and someone had taken all of Sammi's gifts, leaving behind only the discarded wrapping paper.

Two big-hearted police officers saved a little girl's fourth birthday by replacing gifts that were stolen from the Graniteville family's minivan over the weekend.

The whole family, including Sammi's older siblings, Sarah, 21, Shawn, 18, and Joshua, 14, and Sietz's mother-in-law, Marsha, were horrified; Sammi was heartbroken, Sietz said. Officers Frank Callaghan and Michael McAvoy of the 121st Precinct responded to the scene and took a report, including the family's address. "Sammi just looked at them and asked if they could find her presents. They said they'd see what they could do," Sietz said.

On Sunday, the family returned home from dropping off Sietz's mother-in-law to find an NYPD patrol car sitting in front of their Graniteville home. Callaghan and McAvoy got out of the car and popped open the trunk to reveal dozens of new toys, which they helped carry into the house. "Sammi was so happy. She said, 'Look Momma, they found my presents,'" Sietz said. "These officers, it was like they were sent to me to restore my faith, that there are some thoughtful people in the world and they outnumber the bad." Sietz said she wanted to make sure the two officers were recognized for their good deed. "They made our day," she said. "They gave my daughter, and all of us, a gift we will never forget."

http://www.officer.com/news/12289075/officers-replace-girls-stolen-birthday-presents
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Recovering Conservative · Dec 20, 2016

Why am I seeing posts about police in the "Warfare/ Military" section? If you're counting the minutes until Trump / GOP / KGB / Breitbart tears down our Constitution, and makes our police forces standing armies to go out and oppress the American people, that will be the opposite of honor.

waltky · Dec 26, 2016

Giving credit where credit is due...

Conn. Trooper Helps Deliver Baby on Highway
December 26, 2016 - Trooper First Class Greg Capps said he had just pulled over into the breakdown lane on Route 2 when dispatch called to tell him a 911 call had come in reporting that a car with a woman in labor had pulled over near exit 5D.

A state trooper busy keeping the roads safe for holiday travelers took on another important task on Saturday: He delivered a baby. It happened on Route 2 in Glastonbury about 9:15 a.m. Trooper Kelly Grant, a state police spokeswoman said Itohan Oyabure-Okafur was on her way to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, being driven by her brother, Chris Broderick, when she realized her baby was ready to be born. Trooper First Class Greg Capps said he had just pulled over into the breakdown lane on Route 2 when dispatch called to tell him a 911 call had come in reporting that a car with a woman in labor had pulled over near exit 5D.

Trooper First Class Greg Capps said he had just pulled over into the breakdown lane on Route 2 when dispatch called to tell him a 911 call had come in reporting that a car with a woman in labor had pulled over near exit 5D.

When Capps got to the car, he said, the baby's head was already crowning and all he had time to do was put on a pair of latex gloves before delivering the baby. "She pushed one more time and the baby came out," he said. "I barely had time to get the gloves on." Not long afterward, Oyabure-Okafur was resting at St. Francis with her new baby boy, 6 pound, two-ounce Ebenezer Okafur. "It was a great childbirth," Capps said. "Mom did a great job." Ebenezer was born four days early, and already has an 18-month-old brother, according to St. Francis spokeswoman Fiona Phelan.

Capps, a trooper for more than 15 years and the father of three grown children, said that he has been teaching child-birthing for years and that his training just kicked in. He said he he texted his children to let them know about his interesting morning. As for the 911 call, Capps urged anyone who ends up in an emergency situation to be aware of where they are on the road in order to give police a good location to find and assist them. Oyabure-Okafur is originally from Nigeria and lives in Hartford. She declined to be interviewed. Phelan said the family is doing well and enjoying the early Christmas gift.

http://www.officer.com/news/12290138/connecticut-trooper-helps-deliver-baby-on-highway
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Deputy, Wife Pay Off Student Lunch Balances
December 22, 2016 - Cpl. Matt Stoner and his wife, Gabriela, paid off delinquent meal accounts for an entire high school in Gwinnett County.

A Gwinnett County sheriffs deputy and his wife decided to share their good fortune and help struggling families, the sheriffs office said. Cpl. Matt Stoner and his wife, Gabriela, paid off delinquent meal accounts for an entire high school in Gwinnett County.

Cpl. Matt Stoner and his wife, Gabriela, paid off delinquent meal accounts for an entire high school in Gwinnett County.

Their family had quietly made the decision to not buy Christmas presents for each other this year, instead creating a special family memory by doing something to help others, the sheriffs office shared on Facebook.

But when media outlets started asking questions, the Stoners admitted what theyd done to help students of Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville. We share their story of generosity in the hopes that it inspires others to do something kind for someone during this season of giving, the Facebook post said.

http://www.officer.com/news/12289709/deputy-wife-pay-off-student-lunch-balances
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S.C. Trooper's Small Act Had Lasting Impact
December 22, 2016 - Sgt. Quest Hallman remembers little about the minor crash he worked in Lexington County more than a decade ago, but the little boy he posed with for a picture before continuing his patrol that day remembers.[/i]

In fact, Hallman last week posed for another picture with that same boy, who is now 21 years old and has a uniform and badge just like Hallman's. After his S.C. Highway Patrol graduation last week, Trooper Joseph Ragsdale met the trooper who inspired him to join the agency. "He looked similar, but I didn't fully recognize him," Ragsdale said of their first interaction in 14 years. Ragsdale and his mother were in a minor crash in Lexington County when Ragsdale was in elementary school. Hallman responded to the crash and made a report.

Ragsdale, who said he always had a respect and fascination with law enforcement and the armed forces growing up, was too shy to ask Hallman to take a picture with him and asked his father to make the request. "He said, 'Of course,' " Ragsdale recalled. "It meant a lot of me. I know the trooper had a busy day. He took a few minutes just to stand right there and get a photo with me." Ragsdale said that as he grew older and considered a career in law enforcement, he kept remembering that picture. "I was so amazed at how the trooper held himself, his uniform that he wore, the kindness that he showed to my family," he said. "I wanted to be like that trooper that impacted my life. I want to go out and impact the lives in our community."

Trooper Joseph Ragsdale and Sgt. Quest Hallman

Robin Ragsdale said she could see a love in her son's eyes whenever he saw someone wearing a military or law enforcement uniform. "Anytime we were in a restaurant or a store and he'd see them, he'd always say, 'Mom, mom, can I go over there and shake his hand? Can I talk to him?' " she said. She tears up recalling her pride seeing Ragsdale graduate last week and said that with the pride comes fear for her son's safety as he patrols Richland County. "Like any mama whose son is going out there to serve and protect our country or the state of South Carolina, you're wary when he leaves out the door," she said. "Is he gonna come home at night?"

Hallman, who works now in Saluda, McCormick and Edgefield counties, says he was just doing his job by posing for a picture with the younger Ragsdale. He said he doesn't see himself as a role model. He implored the new trooper to "treat folks the same way I treated you." Hallman said law enforcement officers are trained always to be ready to act and to remember that no call is routine. "You're gonna have an impact on somebody one way or another, bad or good," Hallman said. "It might as well be good."

http://www.officer.com/news/12289670/troopers-small-act-had-lasting-impact-on-boy
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ArmySoldier · Dec 26, 2016

Recovering Conservative said: ↑

Why am I seeing posts about police in the "Warfare/ Military" section? If you're counting the minutes until Trump / GOP / KGB / Breitbart tears down our Constitution, and makes our police forces standing armies to go out and oppress the American people, that will be the opposite of honor.
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The streets can be a battle field. Especially at a BLM riot.

Texan · Dec 30, 2016

I have the privilege of knowing this man on a first name basis. I've sat in his Sunday School class and love hearing him speak. Jerry Singleton spent 7 years as a POW in Viet Nam and he talked about it in this video. Jerry doesn't get up to speak until 6:00 into the video. It's an hour long, but this man is worth the listen. This video is Jerry. He acts this way 24/7 and there aren't many people whose opinion I value more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsbkscRyDN8

waltky · Feb 4, 2017

Officer dies trying to save suicidal woman...

Nashville Officer Dies Trying to Save Woman
February 2, 2017 - Nashville Police Officer Eric Mumaw died after jumping into the Cumberland River to rescue a suicidal woman early Thursday morning.

A Nashville police officer died after jumping into the Cumberland River to rescue a suicidal woman Thursday morning. Officer Eric Mumaw responded to a report around 4:19 a.m. that that 40-year-old Juli Glisson was suicidal and at the Peeler Park boat ramp, according to The Tennesean. Mumaw and Officer Nick Diamond attempted to talk to the woman, who was in the driver's seat of a vehicle at the edge of the boat ramp.

Officer Eric Mumaw

The officers believed they had the woman convinced her to step out of the car and when the driver's door opened and the car went out of park and into the water. The officers raced into water to try to save Glisson, but didn't realize the edge of the submerged boat ramp ended and both officers fell into the water as Glisson remained in the driver’s seat. The motion of the vehicle caused the officers to be swept further out. Diamond attempted to grab Mumaw, but he slipped from his grasp. Both Diamond and Glisson were able to swim ashore. The body of the 44-year-old officer was recovered by a diver later in the morning.

Diamond is recovering and in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Glisson was transported to TriStar Skyline Medical Center. "I know he died doing what he loves. He loved his midnight shift and he gave his life," Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson told reporters. "I know his whole detail is over there. They're grieving. They're going to miss him." Officials said that Mumaw, an 18-year veteran of the Nashville Police Department, twice received awards for acts of heroism. Funeral arrangements are pending.

http://www.officer.com/news/12301558/nashville-police-officer-drowns-trying-to-save-woman
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Off-Duty Cop Helps Save Driver in Fiery Crash
February 3, 2017 - New York Highway Patrol Officer Thomas Mutarelli and Elmont volunteer firefighter Jeffrey Dupoux happened to be nearby when Melissa Ortiz's SUV collided with a National Grid truck Wednesday morning.

A Suffolk County police officer and an off-duty firefighter were hailed as “guardian angels” Wednesday for rescuing a Medford woman from a fiery crash on the Long Island Expressway, authorities said. Melissa Ortiz, 23, was heading east on the LIE in Ronkonkoma when her Ford Expedition collided with a National Grid truck at about 10:50 a.m. The impact caused the SUV to overturn and burst into flames in the HOV lane, police said. Ortiz was trapped, but Highway Patrol Officer Thomas Mutarelli and Elmont volunteer firefighter Jeffrey Dupoux happened to be nearby.

They pulled over and teamed up to free Ortiz, pulling her to safety through a broken window with help from at least one other Good Samaritan. “I was on the inside, Jeffrey was on the outside unleashing the woman from her seat belt,” Mutarelli recalled afterward. “We smelled the fire from inside the vehicle.” Dupoux said: “The engine compartment just had a small fire, but as we were pulling her out it started to grow.” Ortiz and the driver of the National Grid truck, identified as Frederick Foote, 36, of Yaphank, were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, where they were treated and released, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Suffolk Police Commissioner Timothy Sini called the rescuers “guardian angels who were at the right place, at the right time.” “This is truly an act of bravery and professionalism,” Sini said. Mutarelli said he was on his way home from court, in uniform but off duty, and was approaching Exit 60 when he witnessed the crash. The SUV landed on its roof, skidding to a stop, the officer said. “The utility truck started fishtailing and taking up all four lanes of the expressway, losing equipment that was on it — ladders and cones, and other metal objects that were flying off of it,” Mutarelli said.

He pulled over and blocked the HOV lane to prevent other motorists from hitting the SUV. Then he said he ran to the passenger side of the vehicle, getting there as Dupoux reached the other side. “We got down onto the ground,” the officer said. “We noticed there was one woman inside. She was trapped.” Dupoux unhooked the woman’s seat belt, and Mutarelli said he “cradled her and pulled her out of the passenger side window.” Mutarelli remembered thinking it was “paramount” that they get the driver out quickly. “As soon as we exited the vehicle ... and we were moving her away from the vehicle ... [the SUV] was fully involved,” he said.

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waltky · Apr 9, 2017

Air Force NCO Wins Silver Star for Heroism in battle to re-take Kunduz...

Air Force NCO Awarded Silver Star for Heroism in Afghanistan
7 Apr 2017 | WASHINGTON – Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brian Claughsey was awarded the Silver Star for his heroism in battle protecting U.S. special forces.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brian Claughsey was awarded the Silver Star on Friday for his heroism in battle protecting U.S. special forces during a fierce, four-day firefight in Kunduz, Afghanistan. It was September 28, 2015 when Claughsey's combat-controller team "got a call early morning saying that Kunduz was under attack by the Taliban and we needed to go up and help the special forces team that was up there," he said Friday in a phone call with reporters. For four days, with no sleep and under constant fire from Taliban guns or mortars, Claughsey directed U.S. airstrikes during the battle. The first firefight broke out overnight as Claughsey's team joined Army Special Forces at a forward operating base near the Kunduz airfield. By morning, U.S. forces had retaken the airfield from Taliban fighters, though they received word that the city of Kunduz had fallen.

The combat controllers and Army Special Forces geared up to enter the city center, borrowing "a bunch of trucks from the Afghan National Army" and formed a 50-vehicle convoy. Claughsey said he was in the fourth vehicle, an unarmored Afghan pickup truck, along with a fellow combat controller, an Army Special Forces soldier and an Afghan army officer. "As soon as we got past the airfield, we started taking fire from a building," he said. From inside the truck, Claughsey directed an overhead AC-130 gunship to protect the convoy. He also returned fire with his M4 assault rifle as the convoy "reacted to the entire route being covered with Taliban," he said. The convoy was ambushed twice and encountered Taliban every 100 to 200 meters, he said. Claughsey directed "several airstrikes along the way. One of the strikes ended up being 70 meters from our location. The AC-130 did phenomenal job putting rounds down to allow us to continue on."

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brian Claughsey was presented the Silver Star for his heroics in the battle to retake Kunduz from the Taliban in 2015

As the convoy traveled deeper into the city, insurgents set off a bomb-laden vehicle in their path to trap them. Claughsey's truck was stopped at an intersection. "Where my vehicle ended up stopping, we got opened up on by two enemy machine guns from really close locations," he said. The pickup truck would not have survived that assault, Claughsey said, but two Army Special Forces soldiers quickly maneuvered their own armored vehicle in front of the truck to protect the team and returned fire with a heavy machine gun mounted on their vehicle.

The convoy got to its destination, the compound of the Kunduz chief of police, but was quickly surrounded by enemy fighters. Two more days of mortars and gunfire ensued. With no sleep, exhaustion set in. "The Taliban was making their final affront to try to take over the compound – we were attacked from three sides," Claughsey said. A call for help came in, Army Special Forces not far from Claughsey's position were pinned down by mortar fire. Claughsey and another special forces soldier responded. Claughsey would mark the spot where the mortar fire was coming so aircraft could destroy it. The men climbed to the roof to direct an airstrike and "we were immediately pinned down," Claughsey said. The men fought from the roof for another hour, returning fire with rifles and a grenade launcher to create an opportunity to mark the target for an F-16 fighter jet to destroy it.

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Coast Guard Hero's Legacy Epitomizes Bond of Sea Services
7 Apr 2017 | The sacrifice of Signalman 1st Class Douglas Munro exemplifies the bond shared by all those wearing the uniform, past and present.

The branches of the armed forces share a special bond. We serve the same public and take the same oath to support and defend the Constitution. The sacrifice of Signalman 1st Class Douglas Munro gets at the very core of the relationship. But more importantly, it epitomizes the bond shared by all those wearing the uniform, past and present. The bond of service. On Sept. 27, 1942, Munro volunteered to lead the evacuation and rescue of a battalion of Marines trapped by enemy forces. Munro maneuvered his boat to provide cover for the Marines and was fatally wounded. Munro sacrificed his own life to save those Marines -- men who went on to change the world. One Marine whose life was saved was the battalion commander of those stranded leathernecks, Lt. Col. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller.

Munro's story of heroism, courage and final sacrifice are taught to our newest Coast Guard members, often on the first day of training. He is the ultimate forebearer of our service's core values. In his fight to save those 500 Marines, Munro didn't face fire alone. By his side in combat were Samuel Roberts and Raymond Evans. Navy Coxswain Samuel Roberts volunteered to join Munro and go back to rescue the battalion. Roberts maneuvered his boat in front of enemy forces, drawing their fire. His plan was effective and instrumental in saving those lives. As he was about to withdraw, Roberts' boat was hit and he was mortally wounded. His heroism is memorialized by the service of the USS Samuel B. Roberts.

Signalman 1st Class Douglas Munro.

And Cmdr. Ray Evans, who enlisted on the same day at the same Seattle recruiting station as Munro, was there to hear Munro's final words: "Did they get off?" Munro gave his life so those men could live and his final breath was for them. The unbreakable service bond is evident in this last act by Douglas Munro: the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard side by side. The events of Guadalcanal illustrate the seamless partnership between our nation's sea services. It is a bond we shared then, just as we do today. The Coast Guard is, first and foremost, an armed service. Coast Guard men and women have served in every armed conflict since our nation's founding, and throughout history, these selfless men and women serve to preserve the American way of life.

The Department of Defense and the Coast Guard share a complementary and mutually reinforcing relationship. We leverage our respective roles and authorities to best accomplish the mission -- to ready our national defense and ensure our national security. Success requires this partnership. As our newest National Security Cutter enters the fleet and serves as Munro's namesake, we honor this partnership. National Security Cutter Munro joins our growing fleet of capable and interoperable assets that will go after threats, now and well into the future. We celebrate the legacy that is Douglas Munro. He is a Coast Guard hero. He is a Marine Corps hero. He is a uniquely American hero.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/...s-legacy-epitomizes-bond-of-sea-services.html
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*Adm. Paul F. Zukunft is commandant of the Coast Guard.

waltky · May 25, 2017

Jason Ellis murder has yet to be solved...

K-9 Partner of Cop Killed Four Years Ago Dies
May 24, 2017 - Four years after Bardstown Police Officer Jason Ellis was killed in the line of duty, K-9 Figo has died.

Figo was the partner of Officer Jason Ellis, 33, who died after being shot multiple times at an exit off Bluegrass Parkway while driving home on May 25, 2013. Ellis was a K-9 officer with the Bardstown police. Figo, a drug-sniffing German shepherd, was not with him when he was shot. Figo was made famous after he was photographed placing a paw alongside the casket at Ellis' funeral. After Ellis' death, Figo retired to live with Ellis' family, including his wife, Amy, and sons Hunter and Parker.

The dog's death was announced by the Facebook page Friends of Figo, where it was reported that he had been battling illness for several months. The page said the family hopes to bury Figo alongside Ellis. "He died peacefully in his sleep, at home," the Facebook post stated. "Every officer should be so lucky." Ellis' slaying remains unsolved. Two former Kentucky State Police troopers recently were brought out of retirement to investigate that case and several others.

http://www.officer.com/news/12337653/k-9-partner-of-officer-killed-four-years-ago-dies
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waltky · Jul 2, 2017

Heroes' heroes...

Oklahoma police officer adopts boy he found bound in a bin of water during child abuse case
Saturday, July 1, 2017 - An Oklahoma police officer rescued a little boy tied up in a bin and then decided he would spend the rest of life making sure he stayed safe.

Poteau Police Officer Jody Thompson met his son, John, for the first time when he was responding to a child abuse call in 2015, KXNW reported. “... when we found him he was bound by his hands and his feet with rope and had been submerged in a trash can held in the shower,” Poteua Police Chief Stephen Fruen told the news station. “They weren’t feeding him. He didn’t have much to eat. I think what he did get to eat he got at school. Bruises, he was covered in bruises from head to toe.” Thompson said as soon he first laid eyes on the boy he knew that he was meant to be his son. “When I’d seen him in that house shivering and his hands tied — just soaking wet from confusion — I knew at that moment the only time I would be satisfied and sure that he was safe is if he was with me,” he told CBS News.

Poteau police officer Jody Thompson adopted John, an 8-year-old-boy, after rescuing him from abuse at the hands of his biological parents in Oklahoma

First responders took John, then 8 years old, to the hospital where Thompson remained by his side as he recovered in the intensive care unit. The next day, he contacted the Oklahoma Department of Human Services to become a certified foster parent and brought John home. Thompson, who had 15-year-old and 8-year-old sons already, said he didn’t tell his family initially, though they trusted he was doing the right thing. On April 2015, the Thompsons welcomed John into their home. Two days later, the police officer learned his wife was pregnant with their third son.

Thompson also adopted John's biological sister, who was born in jail.

Nearly 7 months later, the family received a call informing them John’s biological mother had given birth to a daughter while serving jail time — and they took her in too, according to the news station. John’s biological parents have relinquished their parental rights — though they have not done the same for their young daughter. Now 10 years old, John is a straight-A student and a part of the gifted and talented program, according to KXNW. He said he’ll be forever grateful for his new family, especially his police officer father. “He’s the reason I’m here right now,” John said.

The police chief praised Thompson’s heart, calling him a strong man and a great cop. “All of us can sit back and say we would do the same in that situation, but to come through with it and to do that, that’s a measure of a man — and a very good police officer,” Fruen said.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/okla-officer-adopts-boy-saved-child-abuse-article-1.3294006
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Deputy Pulls Crash Victim From Burning SUV
June 14, 2017 - Fresno County Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Simonson grabbed a pair of pruning shears from a bystander's car, cut the seat belt on the Explorer, dragged the victim away from the fire and started CPR.

A Fresno County sheriff's deputy who jumped from his car and pulled a vehicle crash victim from a burning SUV Monday was identified as Andrew Simonson. The victim later died of his injuries at Community Regional Medical Center, but the sheriff's office made note of Simonson's effort.

Fresno County Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Simonson, inset, grabbed a pair of pruning shears from a bystander's car, cut the seat belt on the Explorer, dragged the victim away from the fire and started CPR.

The incident took place about 9 a.m. as Simonson was driving on Highway 180 to his job at the Fresno County Courthouse. A sheriff's spokesman said Simonson was westbound behind a big rig near Fowler Avenue when a Ford Explorer crossed over from the eastbound lanes and collided with the big rig. The Explorer burst into flames and the driver was knocked unconscious and pinned in the wreckage.

Simonson grabbed a pair of pruning shears from a bystander's car, cut the seat belt on the Explorer, dragged the victim away from the fire and started CPR. Emergency workers rushed the victim to Community Regional Medical Center, where the driver died of his injuries.

http://www.officer.com/news/12343516/california-deputy-pulls-crash-victim-from-burning-suv
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Lifeguard-Turned-NYPD Cop Rescues Woman
June 15, 2017 | A former lifeguard-turned-NYPD cop used his old skills to save a Staten Island woman from drowning off Rockaway Beach in Queens Monday night.

A former Hempstead Town lifeguard-turned-cop used his old skills to save a Staten Island woman from drowning off Rockaway Beach in Queens Monday night, according to the NYPD. The woman, 25, was about 50 yards from the beach during the 7:45 p.m. incident, and there were no lifeguards on duty, a NYPD spokesman said. William Lauria, 23, an NYPD officer at the 105th Precinct in Queens, said he noticed the woman in distress while on beach duty. "There were some rough conditions," Lauria said.

A former lifeguard-turned-NYPD cop used his old skills to save a Staten Island woman from drowning off Rockaway Beach in Queens Monday night.

He said he ran down the boardwalk, stripped down to his police-issued uniform shorts and dove in. He was able to help the woman to shore -- but not before helping another good Samaritan who had also jumped in the water to try and save the young woman, he said. "The man who tried to rescue her initially was swept out even further than her," Lauria said, adding that he then asked for the assistance of a nearby surfer to rescue the good Samaritan. Police did not identify the woman.

Lauria said he has been with the NYPD for a year and a half and comes from a family of cops -- but before that, he spent four years as a lifeguard at the Town of Hempstead's Averill Boulevard Park pool in Elmont. When asked for advice on how to keep safe this season, Lauria advised people to be cautious on the beach. "I advise people not to go into the water when there isn't a lifeguard present," he said, "and if you're a strong swimmer, just know your limits and let someone know you're in the water."

http://www.officer.com/news/12344155/lifeguard-turned-cop-saves-woman-from-drowning
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waltky · Nov 2, 2017

NYPD Cop Hailed for Stopping Jihadi Attack...

NYPD Cop Lauded for Stopping Terror Attack
November 1, 2017 - Officer Ryan Nash wounded the driver who killed eight people in Manhattan Tuesday afternoon.

What more mayhem the terror suspect could have committed, nobody knows — thanks to an NYPD officer from Long Island. Officer Ryan Nash, 28, fired at the driver, who had just killed eight people and mowed down several others, hitting the man in the abdomen. Although Nash’s name wasn’t mentioned by city officials at a news conference, he was praised as the hero of the day. NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said he “stopped the carnage moments after it began.”

NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill told reporters that Officer Ryan Nash “stopped the carnage moments after it began.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio singled the Medford resident out in honoring the army of first responders. “I want to thank everyone at the NYPD, all our first responders, for their extraordinary efforts in the midst of this tragedy,” the mayor said, “starting with the officer who stopped this tragedy from continuing — all the first responders who came to the aid of those who were injured.” Nash’s girlfriend declined to speak Tuesday night, except to say she had heard from him and that he was OK.

Nash, a First Precinct officer, was patrolling his regular beat near the scene when he shot the suspect soon after the attack began, O’Neill said. He is a five-year veteran of the NYPD and serves in the First Precinct, a square mile at the southernmost tip of Manhattan that is home to the World Trade Center, SoHo, TriBeCa and Wall Street. Scores of police officers descended Tuesday night on NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital, where Nash was being treated for tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. He has two awards for Excellent Police Duty and one for Meritorious Police Duty from the NYPD.

https://www.officer.com/on-the-stre...or-stopping-deadly-terror-attack-in-manhattan
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waltky · Apr 2, 2018

Long overdue recognition...

Secret WWII Commandos Rewarded for Valor
2 Apr 2018 -- The secret agents would arrive at the American base in England with little time to spare before their planes took off for occupied Europe under cover of night. They traveled in cars with tinted windows, and were bundled so securely in scarves and hats, even their genders were a mystery.

And for more than 40 years after World War II ended, Army sergeant Keith Cole was forbidden from uttering a single word about what he saw and did. But on March 21, Cole and roughly 20 of his former colleagues in the Office of Strategic Services were ushered into the bright lights of the U.S. Capitol's Emancipation Hall to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest civilian award. "It was something I never thought would happen," says Cole, 93. The super-secret OSS, formed in 1942 to disrupt Axis operations via espionage and arming resistance groups, would become the forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Special Operations Command and the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research. It counted 13,000 personnel during the height of the war, with luminaries that would include future CIA directors William Colby, William Casey and Richard Helms, Nobel Peace Prize negotiator Ralph Bunche, Hollywood director John Ford, actors Sterling Hayden and Marlene Dietrich, and chef Julia Child. In fact, nearly one-third of the OSS agents were women.

By time the Gold Medal ceremonies got underway, an estimated 100 were still living. One of those -- Cole -- retired to Sarasota 26 years ago. The OSS operators were freed from their security oaths in 1987, but by then, says Cole, the war was old news and nobody much asked about what happened way back then. "We had no idea what he did in the war, so it came as a real surprise," says daughter Peggy Cole-Gibbons, visiting from her father's native Michigan. "We knew he was in the Army, we knew he was in England, but that was about it." Given the high levels of compartmentalization, Cole was almost as clueless about the scope of OSS operations as his daughter, at least until the gag order was rescinded. Then he began reading everything he could get his hands on. His own insights into the mission were narrow and restricted. No two missions were alike for 'Carpetbaggers' Cole joined the Army Air Corps at 17 with hopes of becoming a pilot, but poor eyesight kept him out of the cockpit.

Keith Cole of Sarasota, FL recently received a Congressional Gold Medal for his service in the Office of Strategic Services.

He wound up with the 492nd Bomb Group, which transferred to OSS operations in 1944 under the nickname "Carpetbaggers." Employing B-24 bombers stripped of most of its guns, missions involved flying out of England on moonlit nights, dropping below enemy radar coverage at 400 feet, and reaching rendezvous points as far away as Yugoslavia. As a dispatcher, Cole was positioned in the rear, and his job was to make sure the bombers unloaded their payloads directly over given coordinates. Whether ferrying canisters of supplies suspended from bomb bay shackles or saboteurs hoping their counterparts below would be waiting, no two missions were alike. Cole participated in nine drops, and never knew if they ended in success or failure. Flying too low and fast to be challenged by enemy warplanes or ground fire was no guarantee against catastrophe, however. Cole says several Carpetbagger crews were lost after slamming into high hills. But it was only on V-E Day, when he got a daytime bird's-eye view of Europe, did Cole realize what he'd been spared from his quarters across the Channel. "We actually spent two days flying over France and Germany, Belgium, Holland, looking at the total destruction of the war," Cole recalls. "You'd go over rivers and there were no bridges left at all, or none that I could see. You could tell where there had been a tank battle, there 8 or 10 dead tanks in a row, or you'd see pockets of anti-aircraft batteries that had been abandoned and were still standing. It was absolute devastation."

For the elderly OSS agents who didn't know each other existed until last week's reunion in Washington, D.C., the extent to which their efforts helped shorten the war will never be known. But sometimes special operations function best when they're hiding in plain sight, says Cole. "I used to listen to the BBC news every night, and I found out later that the first few words in every broadcast contained coded messages to resistance forces about who was going to was going to receive supplies that night, things like 'Uncle Jean has two shillings in his pocket' and 'Tell Marie to wear her galoshes,'" he says. "I think that's pretty interesting."

https://www.military.com/off-duty/2018/04/02/secret-wwii-commandos-rewarded-valor.html
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US Senator to Award Medal to Navajo Code Talker's Family
2 Apr 2018 - A New Mexico U.S. senator plans to honor a deceased Navajo Code Talker posthumously for his service during World War II.

One of New Mexico's U.S. senators plans to honor a deceased Navajo Code Talker posthumously for his service during World War II. Sen. Martin Heinrich will present the Congressional Silver Medal to the family of Adolph Nagurski during a ceremony Tuesday at the New Mexico Veterans' Memorial.

A member of the Navajo Code Talkers views a performance by Marine Corps Band New Orleans during a parade for National Navajo Code Talkers Day in Window Rock, Ariz

Heinrich's office says Nagurksi had earned the medal but never received it. The Navajo Code Talkers were a group of Marines who developed a code based on their language to communicate during wartime. The Japanese never deciphered it, and the Code Talkers were credited with helping win many key battles in the Pacific during World War II.

In 2000, the Congressional Silver Medals were authorized by Congress and produced by the U.S. Mint to recognize the dedication and valor of the Code Talkers.

https://www.military.com/daily-news...r-award-medal-navajo-code-talkers-family.html
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