#02-14-03: Prepared Remarks of Attorney General John Ashcroft Public Safety Officer Medals of Valor Award Ceremony

Prepared Remarks of Attorney General John Ashcroft
Public Safety Officer Medals of Valor Award Ceremony
February 14, 2003

(Note: The Attorney General Often Deviates From Prepared Remarks)

     Good afternoon. It is a pleasure and an honor to be with all of you today. Every day, all across this great nation, men and women put their own lives at risk to make our lives and our communities safer. These brave public safety officers face down gun-wielding criminals, fight raging fires, rescue victims from swollen rivers, and – in today’s new world – are a vital part of our mission to prevent terrorism.

     Every day, we call upon public safety officers to respond quickly to emergencies and to protect our families, our neighbors, and our property. Every day, public safety officers across America answer that call, acting with courage, determination, and valor. Every day, public safety officers are heroes. This day, it is my privilege to recognize their bravery, dedication to duty, and selfless commitment to the welfare of their fellow citizens.

     On May 30, 2001, President Bush signed into law the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act. This law authorizes, and I quote, “. . . after September 1, 2001, the President of the United States may award and present, in the name of Congress, a Medal of Valor . . . to a public safety officer . . . for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty. The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor shall be the highest national award for valor by a public safety officer.”

     Today’s recipients of the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor were selected by an eleven-member, bipartisan Medal of Valor Review Board. Board members were appointed by the President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and the Minority Leader of the House. All of the Board Members are able to join us here today, and I would like to recognize them:

•  Michael Branham, Board Chairman
•  Sheriff Tim Bivins
•  Sheriff Oliver “Glenn” Boyer
•  Police Chief David Demag
•  Fire Chief Richard “Smokey” Dyer
•  His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan
•  Fire Chief Richard Gasaway
•  Police Chief Jimmy Houston
•  William Nolan, Fraternal Order of Police
•  Thomas Scotto, National Association of Police Organizations

     Finally, let me mention Steve Young, the former President of the Fraternal Order of Police, who lost his valiant fight with cancer on January 9. Steve committed his life to protecting his community and supporting law enforcement officers across our nation. Steve provided the Department of Justice with invaluable advice and helped me to see through the lens of local law enforcement officers. We all miss him greatly.

     The Review Board had the difficult task of reviewing applications, selecting candidates, and forwarding their recommendations. I thank each of you for your time, your hard work, and your commitment to public safety in the United States.

     Today, we come together to recognize the outstanding valor of 10 individuals, and to honor each of them with the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor.

Robert Giorgio, Fire Chief, Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Chief Giorgio arrived upon a scene where a vehicle had crashed from a highway overpass onto State Highway 295. The car, with its engine on fire, was suspended some five feet above ground, held in place by a small tree. Chief Giorgio placed himself beneath the suspended vehicle and worked to free the woman trapped inside. At any point, a shift in the car’s position would have likely dislodged it from the tree, bringing the burning car down on top of Chief Giorgio. Even as the fire spread in the car, and parts of the car began to melt, Chief Giorgio risked his life to safely free the woman.
Keith Borders, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Officer Borders responded to a 911 call in reference to a domestic disturbance. Officer Border successfully removed an endangered woman from the house and placed her safely behind his police cruiser. The suspect, armed with a .38 caliber revolver, a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and a .12 gauge pump-action shotgun, emerged from the house and opened fire on Borders and the victim. Officer Borders suffered a head wound and significant blood loss. Maintaining his composure, Officer Borders shielded the woman from harm and returned fire, killing the suspect.
Eric Svihovec, Volunteer Firefighter, Miller Place Fire Department, New York. Eric Svihovec was in a shop when he saw the taillights of a car disappear off a boat ramp into the water during a storm. Winds were in excess of 30 miles per hour and heavy downpour had reduced visibility to almost nothing. Eric jumped into Mount Sinai Harbor, and found a young mother and her 2½-month-old daughter in the car. With the car already partially submerged, Svihovec rescued the mother and got her safely to the ramp. Svihovec returned to the car, which was still sinking. Diving underwater, and after three attempts, Eric Svihovec freed the baby from her car seat and brought her safely to the surface.
Sean VanAtter, Firefighter, Hillsborough County, Florida Fire Rescue. Firefighter VanAtter was returning to the fire station in a taxi after having just driven an ambulance to a hospital. On his return, VanAtter came upon an accident involving a tanker truck and a car. The car had slammed into a concrete barrier and was on fire with a family of five trapped inside. VanAtter had the taxi stop so he could rush to the aid of the victims, knowing that additional help would not arrive on time. VanAtter forced his way into the burning car and was able to pull the family out safely.
Ron Kennett, Rick Klein, Robert Borer, Mike Wright, Guy Jones, and Jeremy Hosek, Firefighters, Lincoln, Nebraska, Fire and Rescue. Workers were raising a digital telecommunications cable to the top of a 1,524-foot television communications tower – 67 feet taller than the Sears Tower – when a worker was accidentally struck by the cable. The worker was alive, but injured critically and hanging almost 1200 feet off the ground in his harness. Several other fire departments, the State Patrol and the National Guard all responded by stating that a rescue of this type was beyond their capabilities. Lincoln Fire and Rescue personnel Kennett, Klein, Borer, Wright, Jones, and Hosek received permission from the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, the Mayor, and the Governor to attempt the rescue. The team arrived on the scene and began the more than two hour ascent of the tower. Tragically, the worker died before the rescuers could reach him – but these brave individuals persisted in their climb, and successfully brought the victim to the ground.
What is amazing to me is that these are not Hollywood stories of heroism, but are real stories of every-day Americans taking extraordinary risks to save the lives of others. Thank you all for your tremendous courage. Your actions truly demonstrate the kind of selfless service to others that Saint Ignatius of Loyola called for in his Prayer for Generosity nearly four and a half centuries ago:

     “To give and not to count the cost;
     To fight and not to heed the wounds;
     To toil and not to seek for rest;
     To labor and not ask for any reward.”

     Thank you for answering the call to public service, for committing yourselves to protecting your communities, and for risking your lives daily to make our citizens safe. I commend you for your sacrifice, your service, and your valor.

     Now, I have the privilege of presenting another individual who lives out the prayer of St. Ignatius – an individual whose sacrifice, dedication, and service to American are both invaluable and immeasurable. I have the honor of serving every day with this exceptional leader, and sharing with him the responsibility of ensuring that freedom flourishes in a safe America. There is no individual who gives greater measure in defense of America and American values than he. It is my distinct honor to introduce to you the Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney.

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