Editorial: Uncommon valor: Heroes of the NYPD and FDNY show why they are the Finest and the Bravest
New York’s uniformed public servants are rightly under the microscope for the way they use force, the overtime they accrue and so on; with the power of the job comes responsibility and scrutiny. But we don’t often enough stand back and collectively appreciate the plain, simple and essential fact that police officers and firefighters risk and sometimes give their lives to protect the rest of us. Just because it’s a cliché doesn’t mean it’s untrue.
Wednesday, President Biden awarded the Medal of Valor to nine American public safety officers. Six were New Yorkers.
Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera were posthumously honored after being shot dead during a 911 domestic violence call early last year. They were just 27 and 22 when cut down by a 47-year-old man on probation after a felony drug charge, a vicious criminal who wielded a stolen gun equipped with a high-capacity magazine. The third NYPD honor went to Officer Sumit Sulan, who showed great bravery in the Harlem crisis by fatally shooting his partners’ killer. (All three were promoted to detective after the tragedy, Mora and Rivera posthumously.)
Then there were the FDNY firefighters who saved lives: Patrick Thornton, who freed a man trapped under a capsized vessel off of Staten Island; Jason Hickey, who rescued a man from drowning in the Harlem River; and Lt. Justin Hespeler, who carried out a newborn baby from a burning Brooklyn house.
Three other law enforcement officials — a Coloradan, a Texan and an Ohioan — also earned well-deserved presidential praise. We honor them as Americans who exemplify the best in public service, but we swell with pride — and so should all New Yorkers — for the six we call our own. Their sacrifice may in one respect be rare, but there are many more decent and humble and professional men and women of the NYPD and FDNY who follow their training and express their best selves as they protect and serve. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Say it so they can hear you.
New York’s uniformed public servants are rightly under the microscope for the way they use force, the overtime they accrue and so on; with the power of the job comes responsibility and scrutiny. But we don’t often enough stand back and collectively appreciate the plain, simple and essential fact that police officers and firefighters risk and sometimes give their lives to protect the rest of us. Just because it’s a cliché doesn’t mean it’s untrue.
Wednesday, President Biden awarded the Medal of Valor to nine American public safety officers. Six were New Yorkers.
Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera were posthumously honored after being shot dead during a 911 domestic violence call early last year. They were just 27 and 22 when cut down by a 47-year-old man on probation after a felony drug charge, a vicious criminal who wielded a stolen gun equipped with a high-capacity magazine. The third NYPD honor went to Officer Sumit Sulan, who showed great bravery in the Harlem crisis by fatally shooting his partners’ killer. (All three were promoted to detective after the tragedy, Mora and Rivera posthumously.)
Then there were the FDNY firefighters who saved lives: Patrick Thornton, who freed a man trapped under a capsized vessel off of Staten Island; Jason Hickey, who rescued a man from drowning in the Harlem River; and Lt. Justin Hespeler, who carried out a newborn baby from a burning Brooklyn house.
Three other law enforcement officials — a Coloradan, a Texan and an Ohioan — also earned well-deserved presidential praise. We honor them as Americans who exemplify the best in public service, but we swell with pride — and so should all New Yorkers — for the six we call our own. Their sacrifice may in one respect be rare, but there are many more decent and humble and professional men and women of the NYPD and FDNY who follow their training and express their best selves as they protect and serve. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Say it so they can hear you.
___
