Medal Recipient Search
Dustin Kirkpatrick, Oregon County Ambulance District
2025 Class
Awarded on: 09/15/2026
Medal of Valor
On January 24, 2025, Chief Paramedic Kirkpatrick was first on the scene of a house fire in Koshkonong, with persons trapped. The house was fully engulfed and an elderly man on the porch stated his wife was trapped inside. Kirkpatrick pulled the man to safety and began searching for the wife without time to don his protective gear. He crawled into the smoke-filled, zero-visibility structure and located the elderly woman face down on the floor. He dragged the unresponsive woman from the center of the house. A firefighter helped him move the victim into the yard. An Oregon County ambulance had now arrived, and Kirkpatrick instructed the team to treat the elderly man while he treated the elderly woman, who was barely breathing. He began life-saving care, intubating the woman and establishing vascular access to administer critical medications. His intervention stabilized the victim’s oxygen levels before she was transported to the hospital, where she recovered. Kirkpatrick acted selflessly, entering a burning home without protective equipment and delivering expert medical care to save the woman’s life.
Jennifer Martin, nominated by Willow Springs Fire Department
2025 Class
Awarded on: 09/15/2026
Public Safety Civilian Partnership Award
On February 20, 2025, Jennifer Martin, a schoolteacher, was watching her son sledding in the family’s front yard when she observed a young neighbor walking on the iced-over pond across the street. The boy then disappeared through the ice. Martin had her son call 911 and ran to the edge of the pond. She then crawled across the ice to reach the child, who was struggling to stay above water. Martin mustered the strength to pull the boy out of the water, helped him crawl back to land and then walked him home. When the Willow Springs Fire Department and EMS arrived, they evaluated the boy for hypothermia, warmed him in an ambulance and monitored his condition. As the sole witness to the child’s plight, only Martin could play the role of hero. And that is precisely what she did: immediately summoning the courage to risk her own safety to rescue a child in a dire emergency.
Justin D. Hedrick, Missouri State Highway Patrol
2025 Class
Awarded on: 09/15/2026
Medal of Valor
On the night of February 23, 2025, Trooper Hedrick was in South St. Louis County when he heard radio traffic that a sedan was traveling south in the northbound lanes of I-55. Hedrick entered northbound I-55 from Butler Hill Road and observed the sedan approaching him traveling in the wrong direction. He activated his lights and siren and used his air horn to attempt to slow down the wrong-way driver. He then reduced his own speed and, as the vehicle was about to pass him, intentionally struck the driver side of the wrong-way vehicle with the front of his patrol car. The maneuver forced the wrong-way vehicle off the roadway and disabled both vehicles. The driver was arrested for DWI. Trooper Hedrick suffered a concussion and injured wrist. Trooper Hedrick selflessly and unhesitatingly placed himself directly in the path of an out of control wrecking ball to protect the public.
Vernon Collett, Johnson County Fire Protection District
2025 Class
Awarded on: 09/15/2026
Red, White and Blue Heart Award
On March 8, 2025, as many areas of Missouri experienced dangerous wildfire conditions, the Johnson County Fire Protection District was dispatched to a reported fast-moving fire in a field in rural Johnson County. The fire had been started as a controlled burn but grew out of control. Captain Collett was first on the scene in his personal vehicle and began suppressing the fire with a fire swatter he traveled with in his vehicle. Captain Collett collapsed from a medical emergency. District personnel administered CPR. The Johnson County Ambulance District continued lifesaving efforts but were not able to revive him. Captain Collett faithfully served the Jackson County Fire Protection District for 29 years and, in a final act demonstrating his commitment to protecting the public, was first on the scene and immediately went to work attempting to control the fire.
Kenneth Carpenter Jr., Dusty Johnson, Adam Miles, Sami Tscherning, Poplar Bluff Police Department
2025 Class
Awarded on: 09/15/2026
Governor's Medal
On the night of March 14, 2025, an EF-3 tornado ripped through Poplar Bluff, causing major destruction. The officers responded through a maze of debris to Fox Drive, where a tree had crashed through a house, trapping the resident. Officer Tscherning, who was first on the scene, found the victim in her bedroom, pinned under a giant tree and debris. The woman was severely injured. Officers Carpenter and Miles arrived next. The officers began carefully clearing debris, to reach the victim. Lt. Johnson, who was called back to work after a 12-hour shift, was sent to the residence. As he entered the house, the large tree shifted, crashing deeper into the wreckage and increasing the danger. As the officers gingerly dislodged the victim, they learned no ambulances were available. With time of the essence because of the victim’s severe injuries, the officers carried her to the bed of a police pickup truck. Lt. Johnson tended to the victim as Officer Carpenter navigated his way through several miles of debris to the hospital. Teamwork and quick thinking were essential under circumstances that demanded improvisation, compassion and skill to get the severely injured victim to lifesaving care at the hospital. Fortunately, the victim has made a full recovery. Lt. Johnson retired from the department in July after 19 years of service. Carpenter is now a member of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Elliott Barton, Todd Derr, Brandon Harrison, Jasmine Juares, Justin McElroy, Derek Rice, Michelle Ritter, Nathaniel Stapleton, St. Joseph Police Department
2025 Class
Awarded on: 09/15/2026
Governor's Medal
On March 27, 2025, after a violent carjacking in downtown St. Joseph, Officer Juares and Field Training Officer Stapleton located the vehicle, attempted a traffic stop and, when the two suspects took off, initiated what became a heart-racing 11-minute pursuit. As the driver raced through city streets and alleys, his accomplice fired at least seven bursts of shots at Juares and Stapleton, striking the patrol vehicle. Stapleton returned fire when safe to do so. Detective Ritter joined the pursuit, and her vehicle also sustained gunfire damage. Officers briefly lost sight of the suspect vehicle, but Detective Harrison located it and attempted to block the vehicle, but the carjackers rammed his patrol car. Sergeant Derr then took the lead, executing two controlled strikes, disabling the vehicle. Both suspects then fled on foot. Detective Harrison managed to apprehend the driver. Detectives Barton and McElroy and Officer Rice pursued the armed passenger through residential yards and over fences. The gunman turned and pointed his weapon at Barton and McElroy. Facing an imminent threat to their lives, both detectives discharged their service weapons. Officer Rice also fired. The gunman was struck and pronounced dead at the scene. During a high intensity, life-threatening ordeal, all eight officers acted with professionalism and skill and safely ended a severe threat to the public. Derr has been promoted to captain. Stapleton has been promoted to detective.
Graham J. Hoffman, Kansas City Fire Department
2025 Class
Awarded on: 09/15/2026
Red, White and Blue Heart Award
On April 27, 2025, Firefighter-Paramedic Hoffman and his Kansas City Fire Department ambulance partner responded to a medical call from the Kansas City Police Department. After treating the patient at the scene, Hoffman was caring for her en route to North Kansas City Hospital when she pulled a knife and stabbed Hoffman in the chest, piercing his heart. A crew emergency was initiated, and additional fire and police responders arrived at the scene. Lifesaving efforts were performed as the ambulance rushed to the hospital and continued in surgery. Despite all efforts, Hoffman, 29, who had been a member of the fire department for three years, succumbed to his injuries. He had been murdered in an ambulance, a place where he had devoted his life to treating countless patients in need with kindness and compassion.
Matthew Schneider, Troy Police Department
2025 Class
Awarded on: 09/15/2026
Medal of Valor
At about 5:40 p.m. on May 10, 2025, K-9 Officer Schneider was heading home from his shift when he heard a call for a high-speed crash with a trapped driver on Old Moscow Mills Road. He was first on the scene where a car had struck a large tree. The vehicle was engulfed in flames. The closed doors were inoperable. Understanding the imminent danger to the 23-year-old trapped victim who was in and out of consciousness, Schneider disregarded his own safety, relentlessly fighting heat and flames to access the cabin. He eventually forced open the passenger door, extracted the driver, and dragged him to safety. EMS began administering critical care to the driver who had sustained serious injuries and burns. The victim was flown to a hospital. Schneider’s valiant intervention and split-second decision making in the face of imminent danger saved the victim’s life.
Elizabeth Lord, nominated by Missouri Department of Transportation
2025 Class
Awarded on: 09/15/2026
Public Safety Civilian Partnership Award
On May 21, 2025, a MoDOT team was replacing a storm-damaged light pole in Jackson, Mo. The new pole rotated as it was being erected and hit an electric wire, causing an explosion and sending electrical shocks to three MoDOT employees. MoDOT team members pulled the two most seriously injured to safety and used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames that had enveloped them. MoDOT’s Bryant Sheehy then began administering CPR to one of the team members. Elizabeth Lord, a certified nursing assistant, was driving her daughter to work when she witnessed the explosion. Understanding that CPR can be exhausting, Lord took over CPR from Sheehy. The victim coded twice, but Lord continued applying CPR and helped a police officer administer an AED shock. Jackson Fire Rescue arrived and Lord continued administering CPR as paramedics delivered a second AED shock. The victim’s heart began beating again. The two injured MoDOT team members were flown to an ICU burn unit in St. Louis and have recovered. Lord, who has stayed in touch with the MoDOT team members, acted selflessly, as a Good Samaritan – stopping when a stranger needed help and becoming a true lifesaver.
Jared Timbrook, Lee’s Summit Police Department
2025 Class
Awarded on: 09/15/2026
Red, White and Blue Heart Award
At about 11 p.m. on June 1, 2025, Lee’s Summit officers were dispatched to an apartment complex for a domestic disturbance. Officer Timbrook located the victim and suspect in the parking lot. The suspect tried to leave in his vehicle and then fled on foot when Timbrook attempted to detain him. Timbrook gave chase when the suspect ran between two garage units. The suspect then quickly turned and fired several shots. Officer Timbrook was struck and knocked to the ground. As he ran back past Timbrook toward his vehicle, the gunman fired additional rounds at Timbrook. Officer Timbrook remained calm and was able to provide a suspect description and direct responding units. The suspect was later arrested in Kansas. Officer David Stanley provided critical first aid, applying a tourniquet to Timbrook’s upper left leg. Officer Madison Madden and Stanley loaded Timbrook into Madden’s vehicle and transported him to paramedics staged outside the scene. Timbrook underwent surgery for four gunshot wounds – to his left arm and leg, his shoulder and chest. A ballistic vest stopped a potentially fatal shot to the torso. He returned to light duty with the department this year and continues to receive ongoing treatment for his injuries.