Alabama game warden given top law enforcement honor www.privateofficer.com

 

MONTGOMERY AL April 16 2012 — A state game warden, Joe Lindsey II, has been awarded the Medal of Honor for Alabama law enforcement officers for rescuing a 7-year-old boy from the burning wreckage of a north Alabama plane crash.

Lindsey received the Legislature’s highest honor given to law enforcement Thursday during a ceremony at the Alabama Statehouse. Top state officials, including Gov. Robert Bentley took part in the ceremony.

He was among 20 officers from across the state nominated for the award. Many of the officers were honored for heroic actions taken to aid and rescue victims of last April’s tornadoes.

Lindsey was at the Guntersville airport on June 18 with his family when he witnessed a plane crash after takeoff. He said he had been talking to members of the family on board the plane earlier and knew there were children on board. He said he drove his wife and child to an area away from the airport, told then to stay in their vehicle and he (asterisk)ran through the woods” to get to the wrecked plane.

Three people were killed in the accident.

Lindsey said he then entered the plane and rescued the young boy, who he said is continuing to recover from injuries received in the crash.

He said he doesn’t consider himself a hero.

“I am just a guy who was in the right place at the right time and I had a job to do,” Lindsey said.

Bentley told Lindsey he was proud of him.

“God put you in the right place at the right time to save this young boy,” Bentley said.

Other officers nominated for the award included:

— Huntsville police officer Mickey Brantley for rescuing a woman and a young child from a burning house.

—Cpl. R.E. Tucker and police dog “Bodi” for entering a shed where a robbery suspect was hiding and attempting to apprehend him. The dog was shot several times and has recovered.

—Officer George William Taylor of Cottonwood Police Department for crawling into a burning building and pulling a resident outside. Taylor was injured in an explosion while he was in the building.

—Sgt. Cassidy Lambert of Arab Police Department for rescuing a young child found in rubble after one of the tornadoes that hit the state on April 27.

—Cpl. Brian P. Faulkner of the Alabama Bureau of Investigation for helping find a missing four-year-old child after a winter storm.

—Chief Johnny Grant, Reserve Deputy Michael Bishop and investigator Josh Morgan of the Etowah County Sheriff’s Department for helping to rescue a family trapped under a home by a tornado.

—Officer Brian Nalley, Officer Tommy Tyler, Officer Deangelo Hall, Officer Robert Stewart, Officer Frank Alexander and Sgt. Kenneth Smith Jr. of the Birmingham Police Department for apprehending a domestic violence suspect who was threatening to kill himself.

—Lt. Beverly Peterson of the Birmingham Police Department for saving a life by performing the “Heimlich Maneuver” on a man who was having trouble breathing.

—Officer Donald Reese of the Birmingham Police Department for helping save his partner who was being attacked by a domestic violence suspect.

—Officer Katherine Snider of the Birmingham Police Department for using first aide to help save the life of a woman injured in a tornado.

—Officer Willie Willis of the Birmingham Police Department for using his “Taser” to stop a woman from jumping off an overpass onto Interstate 20/59.

—Officer Charles Wilson of the Birmingham Police Department who prevented a man from committing suicide.

Source:montgomery advertiser