The national award was authorized in 2001 and is awarded to public safety officers cited by the Attorney General.
This year's awardees bring the total of medals presented to 55, dating back to the first recipients honored in 2003.
Those honored yesterday included responders from nine agencies from six states.
Kingfisher, Okla. Fire Chief Randy D. Poindexter
Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Brian S. Sturgill
On Aug. 19, 2007, Lt. Sturgill and Chief Poindexter worked together to coordinate multiple rescues of individuals who were stranded as a result of Hurricane Erin, which had flooded parts of Oklahoma the previous night.
In one of their rescues, Sturgill and Poindexter assisted two occupants of a submerged pickup truck. Sturgill maneuvered the helicopter's skids so they were just under the water and Poindexter was able to remove the first occupant.
The rescue of the second occupant was riskier because Sturgill positioned the helicopter's skids so they were deeper under the water. Sturgill's efforts enabled Chief Poindexter to reach both occupants and ride with them to safety.
Brookline, Mass. Fire Lt. Paul R. Pender, Jr., Acting Lt. Gerald J. Murphy and Firefighter Frederick C. Johnston
On April 16, 2008, the Brookline Fire Department responded to a report of a house fire which indicated that someone in a wheelchair was trapped on the second floor.
Due to the heavy smoke and volume of the fire, all the firefighters were ordered out of the building. During the evacuation, a backdraft caused the partial collapse of the second floor ceiling.
At the same time, Firefighter Stephen Nelson was knocked down and was partially buried under debris. The backdraft also knocked down several firefighters at the second floor doorway, sending one of them tumbling down the stairs, taking Acting Lt. Murphy with him.
Murphy quickly recovered and immediately crawled back up the stairs, found the nozzle of Engine Co. 1's line, and began moving into the heavily involved fire. At the same time, Lt. Pender and Johnston rushed up the stairway and Murphy directed them to Nelson.
Without hesitation or concern for their own safety, they all advanced into the second floor, located Nelson, and rescued him.
All four men were treated for second-degree burns.
Jefferson County, Mo. Deputy Carl A. Beier
On Sept. 8, 2007, Deputy Beier responded to a report of a violent disturbance at a rural residence in an unincorporated part of Jefferson County.
As he approached the house, an individual came outside, holding what appeared to be an AK-47 assault rifle, and began charging toward the deputy. Throughout the episode, Beier kept the 9-1-1 dispatch center and the other responding deputies informed of the situation, and actually ordered the deputies not to pull into the driveway, fearing that the man would ambush them.
Beier, without regard for his own life, stood his ground while under continuous fire, incapacitated an enraged suspect, and protected lives.
Jacksonville, Fla. Detective Jared T. Reston
On Jan. 29, 2008, Detective Reston was working off-duty at the Regency Square Mall when he received a call about two shoplifters.
One suspect had been taken into custody, but the other had fled on foot. Detective Reston ran after the fleeing suspect and caught up with him in the 9400 block of Atlantic Boulevard, where the suspect turned and shot Detective Reston several times with a Glock .45 pistol. In spite of his wounds, Detective Reston managed to regain his focus and, while still lying on the ground, drew out his service weapon and returned fire, striking the suspect several times and ending the pursuit.
San Antonio Officer Pedro Garcia III
On Sept. 8, 2008, Officer Garcia and his partner responded to an "officer in trouble" call to assist three patrol division officers who had come under gunfire while attempting to serve a felony warrant at a residence.
Officer Garcia immediately formulated and directed a rescue plan to remove a wounded officer. As he approached the wounded officer, Officer Garcia was struck in the face by a bullet or bullet fragment.
Despite his injury, Officer Garcia reached the wounded officer and pulled her out of the building into the fenced backyard, while returning fire. Because Officer Garcia could not safely remove the wounded officer from the backyard without putting them both back into the direct line of fire, he directed another officer to use a patrol car to create an opening in the fence so they could escape.
While the gunfire from the house continued, Officer Garcia carried the wounded officer to his patrol car. He drove her down the street to a waiting EMS unit and then returned to the scene to coordinate with his fellow officers until a SWAT Team relieved them.
Palm Beach County, Fla. Fire/Rescue Capt. Edwin Lynn O'Berry
On April 8, 2009, Capt. O'Berry was one of several firefighters at the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Station 31 changing shifts when they saw Officer Doug Rua of the Palm Springs Police Department struck in the head and rendered unconscious by a robbery suspect.
O'Berry retrieved his personal firearm from his vehicle, jumped a 6-foot fence with barbed wire on it, and ran to Officer Rua's aid. Another firefighter followed O'Berry, and he dragged Officer Rua to safety while Captain O'Berry covered them with his weapon.
The suspect, still carrying Officer Rua's handgun, then ran into a 3-foot-wide alley behind a nearby apartment building and Captain O'Berry followed. Once the suspect realized he was cornered, he turned toward Captain O'Berry and pointed the handgun at him. Fearing for his life, Captain O'Berry and a responding police officer fired four rounds at the suspect.
Afterwards, Captain O'Berry immediately began rendering aid to the suspect, who was flown to the local trauma center where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Milwaukee Police Officer Vidal Alberto Colon
On April 11, 2009, Officer Vidal Colon and his partner responded to the report of a "subject with a gun" who was threatening citizens during a dispute.
During his foot pursuit, Officer Colon chased the subject through residential yards to the rear of a house. As Colon neared him, the subject stopped to retrieve the handgun he had dropped.
Colon was about 10 feet away and ordered the subject not to move; however, almost simultaneously, the subject fired his weapon at Officer Colon, hitting him in the abdomen.
Despite his injury, Colon and the subject continued to exchange fire until both their weapons were empty. When other police officers arrived, Colon was able to rise to his feet and make it to the front of the residence to direct these officers to the suspect, so he could be taken into custody.
Maplewood, Mo. Lt. William Ervin Appel, Firefighter/Paramedic Andrew Charles Neff, Firefighter/Paramedic Michael Scott Chellis, and Firefighter/EMT Timothy Allen Wisely
On July 21, 2008, the four men were dispatched to a reported vehicle fire. When they arrived, they found a small pick-up truck engulfed in flames in the driveway of a house. As Hummert and Wisely advanced a hose toward the burning vehicle, there was a loud explosion and Hummert fell to the ground. Wisely began medical treatment of Hummert and quickly saw that he had been shot in the head.
Neff ran to assist Wisely in treating Hummert. None of the firefighters knew the location of the gunman and while waiting for an ambulance, there was another gunshot. This time it was Maplewood Police Officer Adam Fite who had been shot. Firefighter Neff administered emergency medical treatment to Fite while they both were still in the line of fire.
Ultimately, Neff was able to drag Fite to safety and stayed with him until the ambulance arrived. When Lt. Appel realized where the gun shots were coming from, he directed the firefighters to take cover. Unfortunately, Firefighter Hummert had sustained a mortal injury and Firefighter Wisely, who didn't want to leave him, was moved out of the line of fire by Lt. Appel and Firefighter Chellis.
Throughout the incident, Lt. Appel provided key information to the command staff until the St. Louis County Police Department Tactical Team arrived and removed the firefighters in an armored vehicle.
Information complied for Department of Justice press release
