Granite State heroes of 2024 honored for their uncommon actions
May 14—On a cold March day, without a second thought, Franklin Police Sgt. Forrest Walker jumped into the turbulent Winnipesaukee River to save two young children after their father's canoe capsized, dumping them into the dark, icy water behind the Franklin Public Library.
Walker, Officer Christopher Hart, who assisted him, and 10 other Granite Staters received 2024 Union Leader New Hampshire Hero awards Tuesday at the Rex Theatre in Manchester for their spontaneous bravery in risking their lives to save others.
"Heroes aren't born. They are created in this moment of opportunity. Whether it's a first responder or an ordinary citizen, they come across a situation where someone needs their assistance and they jump to action," said Joe Carelli, president of Citizens Bank for New Hampshire and Vermont, which sponsored the event.
Burning car
"I certainly don't feel like I should be rewarded. I feel like a lot of people do this on a regular basis," because of their job or calling plus an innate desire to help, said State Police Trooper Phil Sheehy, who pulled a woman out of a burning car in Epping. He said he was honored by the award, and gratified by the thank-you note he received from the woman's adult son.
Pelham Police Sgt. Bruce Vieira, with help from a passerby, broke through the window of a car engulfed in flames on Route 38 in Pelham, then got inside to rescue the driver, staying with him until the fire was quelled enough so they could get out.
"Some things you're born with and natural instincts take over," said Vieira, adding that the rescue was bittersweet because another driver died in the crash.
"Being able to think on your feet the way he did, not everyone can do that," said Pelham Police Chief Anne Perriello. "You have to be an independent, quick thinker with street smarts."
Suzanne Folsom of Warner, and her friend, Christine Lavoie of Merrimack, rescued two Marine Patrol officers who were hurled into Lake Winnipesaukee at night after their patrol boat was capsized by a driverless speedboat.
'I could step up'
"You don't even think about it. You see something and instantly know what needs to be done," said Folsom.
"I learned I could step up when I needed to. We did what we had to," said Lavoie.
Dr. Thara Ali, a cardiology fellow at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, was driving down Interstate 89 when she saw someone desperately trying to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation to a person lying on the shoulder. "In my short career, I've done a lot of CPRs. I could just tell that the compressions were too short," she said.
Ali pulled over to do it correctly and then used a defibrillator. The person was successfully revived.
"Even a few minutes of CPR can be enough to save a life because you're getting oxygen to their brain," said Ali, who believes everyone should learn how to perform the procedure.
Other Hero Award recipients included an off-duty Manchester firefighter, Peter Lawrence, who saved a crash victim pinned inside a car on I-93 in Manchester, and, posthumously, Gary Simard, who died saving his son from a riptide off Seabrook Beach.
"These individuals in a moment's notice ... they put themselves at risk to save others. Thank you for what you've done, the selfless acts of courage," Carelli told the honorees and their families.
