Eight public officers were awarded the Missouri Medal of Valor by Gov. Jay Nixon after recommendations were submitted for extraordinary acts of bravery and heroism in efforts to save lives.
The Medal of Valor is awarded “to a public safety officer who has exhibited exceptional courage, extraordinary decisiveness and presence of mind, and unusual swiftness of action, regardless of his or her own personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life,” according to a news release.
Recipients must be people serving a public agency as a firefighter, law enforcement officer or emergency personnel.
One recipient’s story began when state trooper Donald Doza responded to an injury accident on I-70 in Cooper County on April 28, 2010.
A van with a camper attached to it had crashed into a guardrail, causing extreme damage to the vehicle. The driver was unconscious inside the van.
Doza could not open the doors, so he broke a window with his baton. Propane tanks inside the camper began exploding, fueling the fire. He returned to the driver’s window, now joined by a firefighter. The firefighter pulled the victim’s arms and Doza managed to free his legs as gasoline flowed around their feet.
The victim was pulled from the van moments before the camper exploded. The 80-year-old victim is still recovering.
“This was a first-time experience for me,” Doza said. “I haven’t experienced anything like this before.”
Doza said he did not expect any recognition for this life-saving event.
“I’m humbled,” Doza said. “I was just doing my job and I would do it for anyone. I wasn’t expecting to receive an award,” he said.
Sgt. Steven Landsness, another recipient of the award, was off duty and walking along a trail near the Missouri River in Sunset Park in Florissant on Oct. 23, 2010, when he saw a woman drowning.
“I was walking with my girlfriend near the river and there were kids that were yelling at a woman in the water,” he said. “We thought she was swimming which was crazy because it was October. One of the kids asked for help. We then realized the woman was fighting for her life. She said she couldn’t swim. I handed my stuff to my girlfriend and jumped in the river.”
This action by the off-duty sergeant saved the woman’s life.
“I was very honored to receive the medal,” he said. “However, I think anyone who knew how to swim would have done the same thing.”
Honoree Sgt. Darren Rodgers, along with Cpl. Gerald Williams, was part of a team that assembled to catch a suspect in the theft of nearly 50 guns Jan. 29, 2010.
The gunman was hiding in a shed in Imperial. Williams was wounded in the arm while trying to take away the gun in the suspect’s hand.
Rodgers fired two shots, disabling the gunman and allowing the wounded Williams to be free of danger.
“I have never experienced anything of that caliber while on duty,” Rodgers said.
“It was nice to be recognized from fellow law enforcement,” Rodgers said. “It was flattering just to know other people recognize your actions.”