Photo: The NALC honorees gather in a Washington, DC, park. In the top row from the left are Brian Meyers Sr., Matthew Ross Sr., Anthony “Tony” Paolillo, Taya Cradle and Gerald “Jerry” Loney. In the bottom row from the left are Skyler Wilburg, Michael Waite, Andrew Fontanetta, Rungphet Bodnar, David Moulton and Tesfaye Deyasso.
A Postal Service employee who helped a motorist escape a burning vehicle along a busy Minneapolis area highway received the top hero of the year award from the National Association of Letter Carriers last week.
Tesfaye Deyasso, a St. Louis Park, MN, letter carrier, was driving home after his shift when he came upon a car ablaze with the driver trapped inside. He made a lifesaving decision to be the first to stop and initiate a dramatic rescue effort.
As Deyasso and others raced to free the motorist, they were further challenged by the road’s guardrail — which had pinned the driver’s door — and growing flames that prevented access to the passenger’s door. As one rescuer broke the window, Deyasso and the others pulled the man out to safety before the vehicle went up in flames.
“A lot of people think that we only deliver mail and packages, but I would like to let them know we can also save a life. We can help people,” said Deyasso, who was recognized March 20 as the national hero of the year at the union’s annual awards luncheon in Washington, DC.
The union, also known as NALC, recognized three letter carriers as regional heroes: Brian Meyers Sr. of Johnstown, PA, who stopped a man from being stabbed multiple times by an assailant; Rungphet Bodnar of Flint, MI, who used her dog spray to repel an attack on a little girl at a school bus stop; and Gerald “Jerry” Loney of Topeka, KS, who aided an injured customer by applying tourniquets to the man’s wrists to stop bleeding.
The Humanitarian of the Year Award went to Matthew Ross Sr., a Syracuse, NY, carrier technician who does charitable work in his community.
Two letter carriers received the union’s Vigilant Hero Award: Michael Waite of Wallingford, CT, who helped several residents evacuate a row of 14 townhomes during a fire, and Taya Cradle of Laurel, MD, who followed a 911 dispatcher’s instructions and performed CPR on a customer who had collapsed.
The Partnership Award was given to Andrew Fontanetta and Anthony “Tony” Paolillo of Flushing, NY, for leading a blood drive that has collected more than 1,500 pints of blood from 21 Post Offices over two decades.
Awards for honorable acts went to City Carrier Assistant Skyler Wilburg, who stopped a rolling vehicle after a customer failed to place it in park in the Albertson, NY, Post Office parking lot, and Salem, MA, Letter Carrier David Moulton, who came to the rescue of a 3-year-old boy who wandered away from his day care facility on a frigid day.
A panel of independent judges determined the recipients in each category.
Several of the union’s honorees also received awards from the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program.
