Todd Kenthack and Billy West put this annual day of honoring community first responders into perspective before any of the more than 50 heroes and heroines came to the stage Tuesday morning at the Greater Fayetteville Chamber 7th Annual Valor Awards ceremony at Manna Church on Cliffdale Road.
Their words resonated with more than 400 in attendance.
“I want to emphasize the vital role that first responders play in our community,” said Kenthack, chairman of the chamber’s board of directors. “First responders are the unsung heroes who rushed toward danger when others are fleeing from it. They are the brave individuals who selflessly put their lives on the line to protect and serve us in times of crisis, whether its firefighters battling raging blazes, paramedics providing lifesaving medical care or police officers maintaining law and order. First responders are the backbone of our societies’ safety net. They are the ones who provide comfort to those in distress, saving lives and property often at great personal risk.”
They are the men and women, Kenthack said, of courage, dedication and unwavering commitment, and they deserve the utmost respect from this community.
“These professionals are not just responders, they are our lifeline in emergencies,” he said. “They work tirelessly day and night, holidays and weekends to ensure our safety and well-being.”
West, the Cumberland County district attorney, reminded us of Sept. 11, 2001, when 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airlines, crashing two into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. The death toll, according to published reports, was more than 2,606 at the World Trade Center, including 343 firefighters and 72 law enforcement officers.
Now, 25 years later, documentaries and video footage of that horrific day, West said, remain difficult to watch.
“But I noticed one thing, everybody’s running away from the dust and the debris,” he said, “ but you see the first responders running to the danger, and that really stuck out to me.”
Among the honorees
Recipients of Valor Awards included Lt. Paramedic Charles Conoly, paramedics Angel Alicea, Brittany Cole and Cindy Ortega-Leon, Emergency Medical Technician Deja Cromartie and Community Paramedic Joseph Luna of the Cumberland County Emergency Management Service for their roles in assisting thousands on April 26, when multiple gunshots disrupted the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival entertainment at Festival Park. Also to Officer Kaden Wilkins and Specialist Justin Wilson of the Fayetteville Police Department for evacuating sleeping residents when they observed an apartment fire at Wimbledon Circle; and to Capt. Thomas Farrell, who rescued an unresponsive child on Jan. 5 when a home was on fire on Tammy Street.
Recipients of Lifesaving Awards were Officer Kaden Shaw, Officer Tyler Smith, Officer Naquan Winslow, Det. Holly Vernon and Capt. Leonard Honeycutt of the Fayetteville Police Department; Det. Ryan Wolfe of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office; Sgt. Jordan J. Wiser, Sgt. William N. Daniels, Sgt. Shane Martin and Staff Sgt. Dylan Streveler-Friday of the Fort Bragg Law Enforcement Center; Officer Marisol Kozain and Officer Tony Locklear of the Hope Mills Police Department, Lt. Thomas Ruffin, Haden Androlowicz and Roman Granados of the Hope Mills Fire Department; paramedics Jessica Haines and Kacie Vazzaro of Cumberland County Emergency Management Services; Lt. Jose Serrano, Sgt. William Herring and Deputy Josann John of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office; Lt. Aaron Hagen, Jeremiah Williams and , Jeffrey T. Horne of the Fayetteville Fire Department; Joshua Hampel of the Westarea Fire Department; and Lifesaving and Citizens awards for Fort Bragg Capt. Noah Jackson and Benjamin Langley.
Officer Zaria Scott, a 15-year veteran with the Fayetteville Police Department, received the People’s Choice Award. Scott has been a code enforcement officer for the homeless population since 2023. Scott volunteers with Special Olympics, the Fayetteville Police Foundation and Faith In Action.
Walter “Wally” Ainsworth received the Freddy L. Johnson Sr. Leadership Award. The 65-year-old Ainsworth was described as a “steadfast pillar” over his four decades with North Carolina Emergency Management.
Eight honored in hall of fame
Hall of Fame Award recipients were Benny Nichols, retired Fayetteville Fire Department chief; Ronnie A. Marley, retired Pearce’s Mill Fire Department chief; Ricky Strickland, retired Cumberland County fire marshal; retired Hope Mills Fire Department chief Mark A. Melvin; Reese Faulkner, the late chief and commander of Cumberland County Emergency Management; the late Calvin Bishop, who began his career with the Fayetteville Fire Department and who spent 40 years in firefighting; Brian Pearce, who began his firefighting career with the Eastover Volunteer Fire Department in 1984 and now is vice president of Cape Fear Valley Health, where he has overseen projects such as Cape Fear Valley Medical Center expansion and design of the under construction Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine; and retired Cumberland County Sheriff Ennis Wright.
“It’s certainly a great honor to be recognized with those who have come before me,” Benny Nichols, 73, said. “What I have achieved, I share with them.”
Pearce, 51, remembered others who helped him along his career path.
“I had great leaders who showed me how to serve the people,” he said, including his parents.
Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy C.J. Broadus accepted the award for Wright, who could not attend, Broadeus said, because of the death of Wright’s 11-year-old nephew in Hoke County.
“He loved taking care of people,” Broadus said about Wright, 65, who retired June 30. “His mother always told him about taking care of people.”
Epilogue
This was a morning of celebration and gratitude, where every recipient was gracious in receiving recognition.
“The Greater Fayetteville Chamber is humbled to recognize these local heroes who strengthen local businesses by doing what they do, often without any recognition,” Todd Kenthack, the chamber’s board chairman, said. “Not because that’s their job, but because of what’s in their heart.
“During the week where we stopped to remember the events of September 11, let us never forget the importance of first responders, and express our gratitude by supporting them and advocating for their needs
“They are the true heroes of our communities, and we owe them a debt of gratitude that can never truly be repaid,” Kenthack said. “Thank you to all our first responders for your valuable service to Fayetteville and Cumberland County.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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