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Medal Day Ceremony
'Beyond the Call, Knowing Risks' Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly presented the Medal of Honor to the parents of auxiliary cops Eugene Marshalik and Nicholas Pekearo and Police Officer Russel Timoshenko, and to Officer Timoshenko's partner, Herman Yan, who was wounded during the confrontation with the car thief.
The heroism of Mr. Marshalik and Mr. Pekearo, who were unarmed when they pursued the gunman after he had fatally shot a restaurant worker, was what prompted the NYPD to take the unusual step of conferring the medal upon members of the Auxiliary Police. As Mayor Bloomberg noted during the ceremony at Police Headquarters, "They were volunteering to fight crime. They didn't do it for money or glory, but purely because of their dedication to our city and a strong desire to serve their neighbors." 'A Job About Pride' John Hyland, president of the Auxiliary Police Benevolent Association, called it a fitting tribute to his two slain members. "This is a job about community pride," he said. "Those guys were heroes, there's no doubt about it." In honoring Detective Yan, who received the upgrade to that rank following the shooting - as did his slain partner, Officer Timoshenko - Commissioner Kelly noted, "The Medal of Honor is rarely given to anyone other than those who have fallen in the line of duty. Today there was an exception." Last July 9, the two officers were shot while exiting their patrol car following a routine vehicle stop. Officer Timoshenko was hit twice in the face and fell down. Officer Yan was struck once in the arm and once in the chest - a shot stopped by his protective vest. Despite his injuries, Officer Yan managed to get medical help for his partner, who died five days later. He "did everything he could to protect his partner," Commissioner Kelly said. Combat Cross Winners The second-highest award, the Police Combat Cross, was given to 17 officers for "acts of extraordinary heroism, while engaged in personal combat with an armed adversary under circumstances of imminent personal hazard to life." They are Det. David Gonzalez, P.O. Harrington Marshall, Sgt. Jeremy Berson, Sgt. Kenneth Zepherin, Det. Albert Arredondo, Det. Salvatore Giardina, Sgt. Christopher Pasquale, Ret. Sgt. Kevin Costello, Det. Jesus Capo, Ret. Sgt. Chik-Sum Gong, P.O. John Antonacci, P.O. Nicholas Horun, P.O. Hector Ramirez, Sergeant Jose Garcia, Det. Francisco Peña, Sgt. Angel Torres and P.O. Robert Regnier. Four members of the Harbor Unit's SCUBA team were among those presented with the Medal of Valor for "acts of outstanding personal bravery intelligently performed in the line of duty and at imminent personal hazard to life under circumstances evincing a disregard of personal consequences." On a cold October night in 2007, Dets. George Sichler, Thomas Stevens and Francis Vitale and P.O. John Purcell carried out a daring underwater search for three missing men whose boat capsized in the waters of Abrose Channel between Sandy Hook, N.J. and Breezy Point, Queens. The officers dropped 10 feet from a helicopter into the choppy, dark water, rescuing two victims from the wreckage and recovering the body of the third victim. Lauren Sichler and her family proudly watched her brother receive the award - as they held back his young son from running into his father's arms when he spotted him in the procession. They also videotaped the event for his daughter, who slept in a nearby stroller. 'An Enormous Feeling' "It's an enormous feeling," said father George D. Sichler, himself a retired police officer. "All of them are true heroes, they really are. It's a unique experience to see it all." "We're planning a very big party," said Mr. Sichler's wife, Audra. The Medal of Valor was also given to Sgt. Robert Henderson, Det. Herbert Martin, P.O. Brendan Owens, Lieut. Timothy Farrell, Sgt. Patrick O'Neill, P.O. Joseph Cruzado, Sgt. Brian O'Toole and P.O. Ronald Martiny. For overall contributions to the city, 11 units were awarded departmental citations. "Every medal represents an officer who has gone beyond the call of duty," said Mr. Bloomberg. It shows "just how far our New York City police officers are willing to go to protect this great city. Today's 33 medal winners show once again that there are no limits ... They are brave enough to throw themselves in the middle of a running gun battle in the streets of Brooklyn. They are dedicated enough to dive into the dark and choppy waters of New York Harbor to save people on a fishing boat; they are composed enough to stare down the barrel of a gun at point-blank range. "... And most incredibly," he continued, "they love this city enough to make the ultimate act of self-sacrifice when it is necessary." |
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