“In the arena of human life the honors and rewards fall to those who show their good qualities in action.
- Aristotle
On Thursday evening, July 19, 2012 San Francisco Police-Fire Post 456 held our annual Officer of the Year Dinner. This year the dinner was held at the Irish Cultural Center, which did an outstanding job! Among the many dignitaries that attended the dinner were retired Chief of Police Tony Ribera and his lovely wife Cathy, Chief of Police Greg Suhr, and many of his command staff. Representing the American Legion were District 8 Commander John Forrett, War Memorial Commission Chairman Nelson Lum, Department of California Membership Chairperson Janet Wilson, and District 28 Adjutant Michael Bloom.
Gracing us with his presence (no pun intended) was Father Michael Quinn from St. Brendan’s Parish. We also had a number of prior honorees in attendance. Previous Officers of the Year attending were 1997-Rene LaPrevotte, 2001-Joe Juarez & Jesus Pena, 2005-Jim O’Malley, Timothy Paine & Steve Stearns, 2006-Gerald Newbeck, and 2008-Kevin O’Leary.
This year we honored three heroes for their community service. Retired Sergeant Bob Guinan was honored for his dedicated volunteer work benefiting the Special Olympics, Make a Wish Foundation, and Bay Area Law Enforcement Assistance Foundation. Officer Alvin Louie was honored for the amazing assistance he rendered to a woman in distress, reuniting her with her child, which typified his commitment to community policing. Retired Inspector Liane Corrales was honored for the decades she has spent tirelessly working toward the establishment of a police museum.
Four heroes were honored for incredible acts of valor. Officer Joe Salazar and Inspector Monica MacDonald were honored for their actions in an early morning incident in which they encountered a crazed, knife wielding madman who had just committed a murder. Salazar and MacDonald interrupted the frenzied fiend’s attempts to murder two citizens, at which time the callous killer charged the officers, forcing them to mortally wound him. Retired Lieutenant Henry Parra and Sergeant Russ Gordon were honored for their amazing actions on 17 February, 2010, when they encountered a career criminal who had moments before executed a man in broad daylight on a crowded San Francisco street. Making themselves potential targets for the killer, they managed to take him into custody without any further loss of life.
The event was a great success with almost 200 people attending. Special thanks for the support from the Latino Police Officers Association, the Asian Police Officers Association, the San Francisco Police Officers Association, Sgt. Kyle Ching and his large group from the Airport Bureau, and Patrick Burke and his large group from PACT (Park Anti-Crime Team). In the closing moments of the event we had a moment of silence in memory of 2006 Officer of the Year Matthew Goodin. Please remember Matthew in your prayers.
A survey organized by Britain’s National Army Museum ranks George Washington as Britain’s most formidable and “most outstanding” military foe. Washington beat out Irish leader Michael Collins, French general Napoleon Bonaparte, German general Erwin Rommel, and Turkish military-political leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
“To qualify, each commander had to come from the 17th century onwards – the period covered by the museum’s collection – and had to have led an army in the field against the British, thus excluding political enemies like Adolph Hitler,” the Telegraph explained.
The museum appointed a historian to make a case for each finalist. Of Washington, Stephen Brumwell explained, “Washington scores highly as an enemy of Britain on three key grounds: the immense scale of damage he inflicted upon Britain’s army and empire – the most jarring defeat either endured; his ability to not only provide inspirational battlefield leadership but to work with civilians who were crucial to sustain the war effort; and the kind of man he was. As British officers conceded, he was a worthy opponent.”
A pilot’s wife was sitting in the cockpit of his fighter jet. Her head was spinning as he pointed to the myriad buttons, levers, and switches on the control panel. “Do you really know what each of these buttons does?” she asked. “Yep,” he said proudly. Scowling, she then asked, “And I’m supposed to believe you can’t figure out how to run the washing machine?”
Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 6:00 PM. Meetings are held in the Veteran’s War Memorial Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue, room 212. Refreshments are served at the conclusion of business.
