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Adam R. Shipley, Missouri State Highway Patrol

2022 Class
Awarded on: 09/28/2023
Medal of Valor

At about 5 p.m. on January 25, 2022, Trooper Shipley heard radio traffic about an aggravated rape in progress at the Amidon Conservation Area in Madison County and immediately responded to the area. As he approached on County Road 253, he observed a 58-year-old man forcing a woman and young child toward a vehicle at knifepoint. The woman, who had just been sexually assaulted by the man, ran toward Shipley with her four-year-old in her arms. Trooper Shipley exited his vehicle and pursued the attacker into the woods. He caught the man after about 60 yards. As Shipley attempted to handcuff him, the man reached for a knife in his waistband. The two fell to the ground as they fought. The man managed to get Trooper Shipley’s pepper spray and Taser, deploying both toward the trooper. The Taser probes struck Trooper Shipley but it was not effective. Although impaired by the pepper spray, he could see the man reaching again for the knife in his waistband. Trooper Shipley drew his duty pistol and discharged one round, striking the man in the chest. He attempted to administer first aid but the attacker died at the scene. The attacker had recently completed a prison sentence for sexual assault and been released. By responding quickly and acting decisively, Trooper Shipley prevented additional harm to an innocent mother and her child and ended the threat of further violence to the community.

William E. Davis and Rick D. Hirshey, Joplin Police Department

2022 Class
Awarded on: 09/28/2023
Medal of Valor

On March 8, 2022, Joplin Police Corporal Ben Cooper and Officer Jake Reed responded to a business for a disturbance call. As they attempted to take a suspect into custody, the man pulled a concealed gun and shot Cooper and Reed, mortally wounding both. The gunman then fled the scene in Corporal Cooper’s patrol vehicle. Officers gave chase as the gunman fired at them. The gunman crashed the patrol vehicle and attempted to steal a minivan. Officer Hirshey located the gunman and positioned his vehicle to prevent the gunman from fleeing in the minivan. The gunman fired at Officer Hirshey, who received a life-threatening gunshot wound to his face. Captain Davis arrived on the scene and was also fired upon. He shot and killed the gunman. On a tragic day when two members of the Joplin Police Department were killed and the community threatened, Officer Hirshey and Captain Davis responded courageously, decisively and ended a danger to the police department and Joplin itself.

Barry W. Morgan Jr., Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office and Joshua J. Schuenemeyer, Missouri State Highway Patrol

2022 Class
Awarded on: 09/28/2023
Medal of Valor

On the morning of March 17, 2022, heavy fog enveloped Interstate 57 near Charleston, Mo., contributing to a chain reaction crash involving more than 45 vehicles, including many tractor trailers. The crash killed five people and injured more than a dozen others. Captain Morgan and Trooper Schuenemeyer were among the first emergency personnel on the scene. Captain Morgan found a seriously injured driver trapped in the driver’s seat in the remains of a tractor. Its cab had been torn away and the driver was screaming for help. Trooper Schuenemeyer, who had been assisting other motorists, arrived and he and Captain Morgan attempted to pull away the crumpled dashboard and free the driver. So much of the tractor had been ripped away that the two stood on the engine block as they attempted the rescue. Fire service personnel had not yet reached this area of the crash scene and trucks and cars were burning around the remains of the tractor; the ground beneath it was covered with diesel fuel. Fire and intense heat were encroaching on all sides. Captain Morgan and Trooper Schuenemeyer attempted to pull the driver out through the passenger doorway, but his legs were caught under the dashboard. With time running out, Trooper Schuenemeyer ran to the driver side of the truck, placing himself between two burning tractor-trailers. Flames now burned overhead. Fire had spread to the tractor. Trooper Schuenemeyer was able to free the driver’s legs and Captain Morgan pulled the driver out the passenger doorway as flames spread across the remains of the wreckage. The driver was transported to a local hospital. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries as he was being flown to another hospital. In the midst of a massive crash scene, with fire burning all around them, Captain Morgan and Trooper Schuenemeyer each displayed undaunted courage and resourcefulness, risking their own lives in an attempt to save the life of the severely injured truck driver.

Donald W. Fessler, Missouri Department of Conservation

2022 Class
Awarded on: 09/28/2023
Medal of Valor

At 12:41 p.m. on June 27, 2022, Agent Fessler was on routine patrol when he heard a Missouri State Highway Patrol radio call about a major train derailment crash near Mendon, in Chariton County. At 12:51 p.m., Agent Fessler arrived on the scene before any other first responders. As he moved on foot toward a derailed Amtrak train with his medical bags, people were running toward him and pointing to a ditch. There, he found a truck driver whose dump truck had been struck by the train. Agent Fessler and a civilian began administering CPR, but the victim could not be revived. Agent Fessler then moved toward the train wreckage, where there were many seriously injured passengers. He triaged the scene, rendered aid and directed other arriving first responders. He then determined to climb into the train cars laying on their sides to search for and assist victims who could not evacuate. The interior was dark, hot and chaotic. Agent Fessler searched for the most seriously injured with his flashlight. He found Anthony Bryant, an Amtrak employee, who was bleeding profusely from his right shoulder and arm, which were trapped between the ground and the train wreckage. He applied quick clot and gauze to stop the bleeding from the shoulder. He then began to dig out rock and debris from around Mr. Bryant’s arm. Agent Fessler remained with Mr. Bryant for about two hours, keeping him calm as he continued to try to free his arm. Eventually, EMS and firefighters arrived with the Jaws of Life and other equipment to help free Mr. Bryant’s arm. Mr. Bryant was pulled from the wreckage strapped to a backboard. Agent Fessler would visit Mr. Bryant at Missouri Orthopedic Institute as he recovered from the amputation of his right arm. Agent Fessler received notes of thanks from train passengers in recognition of his attentive care and kindness. Arriving at a large scene of destruction with dozens of victims seriously injured, Agent Fessler remained calm and assisted many injured passengers. His compassionate care for Anthony Bryant likely saved Mr. Bryant’s life.

Tanner J. Muckenthaler and Brendan D. Gamble, Branson Police Department

2022 Class
Awarded on: 09/28/2023
Medal of Valor

On August 13, 2022, Sergeant Muckenthaler and Officer Gamble responded to a head-on collision on Fall Creek Road just outside of Branson’s jurisdiction because there were reports of injuries. A Jeep was on fire with a man trapped inside the smoke-filled vehicle. The man was screaming in agony because of severe injuries and the toxic smoke; smoke was also pouring out of a sedan. The situation demanded fast, resourceful action. Sergeant Muckenthaler quickly assisted in getting the driver of the sedan to safety. But a couple was trapped inside the Jeep. A civilian, Shane Childress, managed to get the Jeep’s doors unlocked and opened, dispersing some of the smoke. The driver exited, but the passenger was seat-belted in, suffering from a severely broken leg and unable to get out. Mr. Childress attempted to put out the fire with fire extinguishers without success. The fire was growing and the toxic smoke in the cabin was stifling. Sergeant Muckenthaler used a knife to cut the passenger’s seatbelt. Officer Gamble had now arrived and attempted to assist by getting into the SUV through the driver’s door but was repelled by the smoke. He then joined Sergeant Muckenthaler at the passenger’s door and together they were able to lift the screaming man out of the vehicle. The two officers then moved him to a safe distance from the fire. They then instructed everyone to get away from the burning Jeep, which was fully engulfed in flames within 45 seconds. Had it not been for the quick actions of Sergeant Childress, Officer Gamble and Mr. Childress, the passenger likely would have died in the smoke and fire.

Terry A. Bible, Missouri State Highway Patrol and W. Shane Blankenship, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office

2022 Class
Awarded on: 09/28/2023
Medal of Valor

On the afternoon of September 10, 2022, Deputy Shane Blankenship was at the scene of a motorcycle crash on eastbound Interstate 44 in Lawrence County when he heard a vehicle stopping suddenly. As Deputy Blankenship looked to the west he could see flames from another crash a few hundred yards down the road. As Corporal Bible arrived at the first scene, Deputy Blankenship directed him and Sarcoxie Fire Department firefighters to the second scene. There, Corporal Bible found two crashed tractor-trailers; thick smoke was coming from one of them. A motorist ran to Corporal Bible and told him the truck was on fire and the driver trapped. Bible grabbed his fire extinguisher and sprinted to the cab of the truck. He found the driver trapped with his legs pinned in by the seat, with the exterior and the rear of the cab on fire. Corporal Bible directed others on the scene to bring their fire extinguishers to the truck since the fire department was not on the scene. Inside the cab, Corporal Bible attempted to force the seat away from the driver’s leg as the flames intensified. Understanding that every second mattered, once the fire department got to the scene, Corporal Bible exited the cab, instructed the crew to bring the Jaws of Life hydraulic rescue tool to the truck and then helped pull a firehose to the cab. Bible then covered the driver with an extra set of the fire department’s bunker gear to protect him from the growing flames. Deputy Blankenship arrived and the two applied pressure to the driver’s seat as the fire department used the Jaws of Life to try to free the driver. With tires blowing up and flames moving into the cab, the fire department began spraying water on all the people in the cab to protect them. Bible and Blankenship continued to try to calm and reassure the driver, who was conscious throughout the ordeal. Eventually, the driver was freed with the Jaws of Life and was transported to medical treatment. Under the most harrowing circumstances, Corporal Bible and Deputy Blankenship remained calm and resolute in their heroic determination to risk their own lives to save the driver.

Kevin Jeffries and Justin Parrack, nominated by Missouri State Highway Patrol

2022 Class
Awarded on: 09/28/2023
Public Safety Civilian Partnership Award

On July 5, 2022, Troop D troopers were dispatched to Missouri 13 in Greene County, where a vehicle was northbound in the southbound lanes. Upon investigation, troopers learned that a motorist driving an SUV had suffered a cardiac emergency and was unresponsive as his vehicle traveled north. The SUV traveled into the median and continued northbound. Two motorists who had been driving north separately – Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Parrack – parked their vehicles on the shoulder and ran to intercept the uncontrolled SUV. Jeffries and Parrack ran beside the vehicle in the median and attempted to awaken the occupant, who was slumped over the console toward the passenger seat. They then tried to enter the vehicle from the passenger side but the door was locked. They moved back to the driver side of the vehicle and resumed their efforts to awaken the driver. The vehicle had now shifted from the median to traveling northbound in the southbound passing lane of the four-lane highway. Oncoming traffic had to take evasive action to avoid a collision. Jeffries and Parrack were finally able to enter the SUV, steer it back into the median and stop the vehicle. Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Parrack now saw the driver was not breathing and was in cardiac arrest. They pulled him from the vehicle and began administering CPR. They continued until Ebenezer Fire Protection District personnel arrived. The victim, Richard Mogan of Eldorado Springs, had been driving home from a round of cancer radiation treatment in Springfield. He was subsequently treated by EMS personnel and transported to Mercy Hospital – Springfield, where he was treated and recovered. The Highway Patrol reunited him with Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Parrack at Troop D headquarters in December. Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Parrack acted bravely and without concern for their own safety. Their actions likely prevented a collision and saved Mr. Mogan’s life.

Shane Childress, nominated by Branson Police Department

2022 Class
Awarded on: 09/28/2023
Public Safety Civilian Partnership Award

On August 13, 2022, a head-on collision occurred about 150 feet away from Shimi’s Food Truck/Café on Fall Creek Road, just outside of Branson. A Jeep was in a ditch and burning. The front end of the vehicle was severely crushed and a passenger was screaming in pain from the smoke-filled vehicle. Smoke was also coming from the sedan that was involved in the crash. The restaurant owner, Shane Childress, immediately went to the scene with three fire extinguishers from his business. The driver of the sedan, who was alone, managed to get out of his car but the scene was extremely dangerous and vehicle traffic continued on the road. Childress had restaurant staff use a chair on casters from his business to wheel the injured man to the safety of the restaurant, with the assistance of a Branson Police officer. Mr. Childress then went to the burning Jeep. He deployed the fire extinguishers, but the fire continued to grow. A woman and child were able to get out of the back on their own. The front and side airbags had deployed in the front of the vehicle. Mr. Childress used kitchen knives to cut the driver’s airbags and helped her out of the vehicle. Next, he tried to get the passenger out. He was a large man, screaming in pain and having trouble breathing because of the thick smoke. The passenger door was locked so Mr. Childress climbed into the vehicle from the back driver side door and unlocked the front passenger door. Mr. Childress, who is 5-foot-7, then tried to get the trapped passenger out, without success. The man’s head was on the dashboard in the crushed vehicle; his left leg had been severely injured. At that point, the Branson Police Department’s Sergeant Tanner Muckenthaler and Officer Brendan Gamble arrived on the scene and immediately went to work cutting the victim’s seatbelt and then quickly but carefully extricating the severely injured man from the crushed passenger compartment as the fire continued to burn. The Jeep was fully engulfed in flames within 45 seconds of the victim being extricated by the officers. Had it not been for the quick and resourceful actions of Mr. Childress and Muckenthaler and Gamble, the trapped man would have likely succumbed to the smoke and fire.

Joseph Sapp, nominated by Branson Police Department

2022 Class
Awarded on: 09/28/2023
Public Safety Civilian Partnership Award

On December 12, 2022, Branson Police Department Sergeant Abe Jones responded to a call about a possible fight in progress in the parking lot of a Branson apartment complex. As Sergeant Jones attempted to arrest a suspect, the man violently assaulted him. Sergeant Jones was down on one knee as the man repeatedly punched him in the head. Joseph Sapp, who was 19-years-old at the time and lived in the apartment building, saw what was taking place and immediately responded. He shoved the assailant away from Sergeant Jones and then repeatedly struck the attacker. Mr. Sapp’s actions allowed Sergeant Jones to get back up on his feet and deploy his Taser to quell the assailant. Without regard for his own safety, Mr. Sapp, who joined the U.S. Army in January 2023 and is now stationed in Texas, took immediate action to help a law enforcement officer in need of assistance, preventing further injury to the officer, protecting the public, and assisting in the assailant being taken into police custody.

Benjamin J. Polson, St. Louis Fire Department

2022 Class
Awarded on: 09/28/2023
Red, White and Blue Heart Award

On the morning of January 13, 2022, St. Louis Fire Department Truck 13 was dispatched to a building fire in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood in northwest St. Louis. A vacant two-story brick structure was heavily involved in fire. Firefighter Polson stretched a 1¾ inch attack line into the burning structure to assist in conducting a rapid primary search. Firefighter Polson was on the second floor when the roof collapsed without warning, trapping him. An emergency radio call went out and several fellow firefighters made entry in an attempt to rescue Firefighter Polson but could not reach him because of the rapid fire progression and deteriorating building conditions. Firefighter Polson had earned a law degree and an MBA but felt the call to public service, following his father’s footsteps into the St. Louis Fire Department. He had been with the department for less than three years, but in his brief tenure with the department he had proven to be a leader and committed teammate, devoted to serving the St. Louis community.