Several Ozarks area first responders and citizens to be honored with Missouri Public Safety medals

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – The State of Missouri will honor 18 first responders and several civilians on Thursday (Sept. 28) in recognition of their heroic acts beyond the call of duty performed during 2022.

The presentation of Missouri Public Safety Medals will be made by Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe at the Missouri State Highway Patrol headquarters in Jefferson City at 1:30 p.m.

Several of the honorees are from the Ozarks.

The Medal of Valor honors public safety officers who exhibit exceptional courage and decisiveness in attempting to save human lives. This year Lawrence County Deputy Sheriff Shane Blankenship is among that group being recognized for the life-saving rescue of a driver trapped inside a burning truck in Lawrence County.

A pair of Branson police officers will also be receiving the Medal of Valor as Sgt. Tanner Muckenthaler and Officer Brendan Gamble also rescued a man trapped in a burning car following a head-on collision.

“Driving down the road, I see two cars that are kind of off the road in a ditch, and I see smoke coming from at least one of the vehicles,” recalled Muckenthaler. “While I was getting one man out of a car Mr. Childress (more on him in a moment) had gotten two occupants out of the vehicle that was on fire. When Officer Gamble arrived on scene, we went to the final passenger in the vehicle that was on fire. We knew we didn’t have much time. He was in the front passenger seat, and you could see flames coming out of the engine compartment and going up on the windshield. So we knew we had to get him out immediately and that we couldn’t wait for anybody else to provide assistance on that one. We don’t do this for recognition or anything like that, but I’m very grateful for the opportunity and grateful that I was at the right place at the right time on that day.”

“There are plenty of officers out there who don’t get recognition for all that they do,” Gamble added. “Unfortunately, stuff like this (rescuing people out of cars) happens all the time. I just wish there would be more recognition for some of the other officers out there who do stuff just like we did.”

A pair of Branson civilians are also being given Public Safety Civilian Partnership Awards for assisting public safety officers.

Shane Childress helped officers during that same wreck. He was one of the first to arrive on scene and helped get occupants out of the cars.

“Mr. Childress also used some fire extinguishers to keep the fire at bay while Officer Gamble and I cut that final individual out of the car because his seatbelt was still attached and not releasing,” Muckenthaler said.

“At one point, he grabbed a rolling chair to help us as we were able to sit one of the occupants on that chair to get him away from the fire,” Gamble added.

Another civilian award will be awarded in Jefferson City to Joseph Sapp, who will be recognized for assisting a Branson police officer who was being assaulted in an apartment complex parking lot.

The Red, White, and Blue Heart Award at the public safety honor event is given to those who have lost their lives in the line of duty or sustained serious injuries.

This year’s honorees include three Joplin officers. Cpl. Benjamin L. Cooper and Officer Jake A. Reed were killed when a suspect they were attempting to take into custody pulled a concealed gun and shot them in March 2022. Officer Rick Hirshey was severely wounded when the fleeing gunman shot him in the face. The officers had responded to a disturbance call involving suspect Anthony Felix, who stole a police car after shooting two of the officers. He was eventually shot and killed by another officer.

Another posthumous Red, White, and Blue Award will be given to Ebenezer firefighter Dustin Brandhorst, who was killed when his tender truck overturned while trying to go around a curve on the way to a fire call in March 2022. His family and several members of the Ebenezer Fire Protection District will be on hand for the ceremony.

“It will rekindle some emotions, I’m sure,” said Assistant Chief Chad Shell, who was also a neighbor to Brandhorst. “You don’t ever really forget and you don’t get over it. You just find ways to live with it and move on. For me, it’s just helping support his family. Dustin was a good friend of mine and this is a huge honor because it helps you understand just how much people care.”

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