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DURANT, Okla. – Two troopers with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol were honored for their bravery and courage on Monday.
“It’s pretty special. It’s one of those things we never think about happening,” said OHP Trooper David McCutcheon.
McCutcheon was injured in the line of duty in 2011 when he was hit on the side of the highway. He medically retired in 2013 but came out of retirement two years later.
However, that same year, he was injured in a high-speed pursuit. He was flown to a hospital where he underwent four surgeries.
“We don’t put this uniform on and think about the things that’ll happen to us. Through all the struggles, I’m here,” McCutheon said. “Tested the bounds of my marriage, I mean, it was just, it was significant in more ways than just the highway patrol.”
He received the Purple Heart Award Monday afternoon saying that everything he’s been through “adds to my willpower and desire to be a state trooper.”
Trooper Tommy Richardson was also honored, and received the Chief’s Award, making him the “only trooper in this patrol to receive it in the past two years,” according to KXII.
One year ago, Richardson shot a murder suspect, who was holding a woman hostage and had already killed a man in Atoka County, during a pursuit.
“The award itself is special. But it just means I went out there and did my job that day, more than anything,” Richardson said.
Lt. Scott Hampton said Richardson’s actions saved the woman’s life.
“For me, it’d be the satisfaction we get for helping the people. We go out there every day and that’s our goal,” Richardson said.
