Parkersburg rescuer among honorees at Iowa valor ceremony

Iowa State Trooper John Souhrada remembers May 25, 2008, as a day that he and four local firefighters helped bring order out of chaos after an EF-5 tornado ripped through Parkersburg.

Souhrada was among the first responders and volunteers who crawled over and through debris in natural gas-infested structures flatted by the horrific storm in search of survivors pinned in the wreckage.

“All I could think about was there are people in there and we've got to get them out. If we can help those people, we've got to do it,” he said. “You're in a zone where you don't think about things. You just do what you need to do.”

For his heroism and the bravery of Aredale assistant fire chief Dustin Cole and Allison volunteer firefighters Donald Scroggin, Brad Cooper and Brett Cooper, the five men were among 11 people presented with the Sullivan Brothers Awards of Valor by Gov. Chet Culver at a special Capitol ceremony Thursday.

The Sullivan Brothers Award of Valor program recognizes peace officers and firefighters who, while serving in an official capacity, distinguished themselves by the performance of a heroic act above and beyond the normal demands of police or fire service.

Scroggin said he had mixed emotions about the award.

“I appreciate the recognition although I consider it part of our job as being a volunteer fire department to go above and beyond,” he said. “There was so much chaos going on that we just went on from one thing to another. I consider it as part of our job to protect the community.

The five men risked their personal safety to remove debris and rescue Dana and Karen Anderson, a brother and sister who were trapped under debris from their Parkersburg home.

Souhrada, who sustained injuries to his back, leg and lungs from breathing the natural gas during the rescue efforts at the Anderson residence, said he was impressed by the actions of the people who voluntarily risked their lives to save others.

“As a state trooper, I get paid to do my job,” he said. “These volunteers, that's not their job, they did it because they care. That shows great Iowa spirit.”

Souhrada said his payoff for a grueling night came after he drove himself to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries.

“The most memorable thing for me, besides all the destruction and chaos, was sitting in the hospital room with a breathing tube in my mouth and I couldn't move because my back was all swelled up, and they wheeled that lady in from across the hall and she thanked me for saving her life. That was probably the grandest memory of my career,” he said.

Other recipients of the Sullivan Brothers Awards of Valor on Thursday included:

• Grinnell Police Officer Jeremy Stevenson: On Oct. 12, 2008, he was called to a burning Grinnell house occupied by four people where he helped evacuate the occupants and rescued Dorothy Delk from the blaze.
• Bremer County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Hartman and Waverly firefighter Jim McKenzie: On Oct. 21, 2008, the two men took extraordinary measures to rescue Luetta Ohlendorf from a burning building but due to extenuating circumstances and a gas explosion the victim died in the blaze.
• Louisa County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Adam Caudle: On March 15, 2009, he saw a woman fall from a bridge into the Iowa River and twice jumped into water at 20-foot flood stage and 40-degree temperature to safely rescue the woman.
• Deputies Brian Eckhardt and C.J. Sullivan of the Jones County Sheriff's Department: On April 23, 2008, the deputies jumped into a cold flooded creek and while fighting the strong current, with zero visibility in the water and a submerged upside-down vehicle, they were able to work as a team and locate and remove toddler Tatum McGlothlin safely from the vehicle.