Way to go Tank!!
 

Congrats Tank!!!



URL: http://www.venturacountystar.com/vc...5179505,00.html
Governor honors Ventura traffic officer for valor

By Timm Herdt, [email protected]
November 30, 2006

It was raining hard that January day, so Ventura traffic Officer Patrick "Tank" Sears had to leave his customary motorcycle in the garage and check out a cruiser instead.

Highway 101 was closed north of town, cars were being diverted onto city streets and traffic was a mess. Sears decided to head on up the freeway to try to find out when it might reopen. Then he saw a mountain of mud sliding down a hillside and burying homes in La Conchita. The traffic problems would have to wait.

Sears drove into La Conchita, jumped out of his car and looked for what he could do. Power lines were down, gas lines were broken, people were screaming. Before the day was over, 10 people would perish in the Jan. 10, 2005, tragedy.

"It was just panic there, pandemonium," he recalled. "It was shocking to see. It reminded me of 9/11. There were people buried and it was very traumatic. The thing I wanted to do was to get as many people as possible out of harm's way."

Sears saw people digging at a pile of rubble and joined in. Within minutes, they heard voices from below. Using their hands, Sears and the others dug through 20 feet of mud, tree limbs and debris to uncover two women, Nadine Bunn and Cherie Chako, from what might otherwise have been their graves.

Sears then stayed on the scene for several hours until firefighters, concerned that he did not have the proper gear to protect him from danger, ordered him to leave. "I was scared the whole time," he admitted. "I just wanted to get home to my family."

On Wednesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger awarded Sears California's highest award for public safety officers, bestowing upon him one of just six Medals of Valor granted to police officers around the state for acts of heroism in 2005.

Schwarzenegger called the recipients "the finest of the finest" among public safety officers in the state. Marveling at the details of their acts, the governor said, "You think that these stories come right out of the movies. Let me tell you: There's a big difference between movie action heroes and real action heroes."

The medals were given out in ceremonies at the governor's office, where Sears was joined by his wife, Kelly, and daughter, Taylor.

The awards were established by legislation in 2003 that created a formal process through which local agencies submit nominations to the Attorney General's Office. The nominations are reviewed by a committee made up of representatives from all major public safety organizations in the state. The winners for 2005 were selected from 98 nominations.

Sears, a resident of Oxnard, has been with the Ventura Police Department for eight years. He said he believes that any law enforcement officer, if confronted with the same situation, would have responded the same way. "It's just something that we do," he said.

He continues to work traffic duty, and on dry days patrols the streets of Ventura on his motorcycle.

On Wednesday, Sears was feted as a hero. The rest of the time, he joked, "I'm the bad guy who gives out tickets."

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

WOW! Congratulations Tank!

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Congratulations Tank. Way to go. :cool:

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Right on, Tank! Way to go, congratulations. :cool: :)

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Yes, congratulations!

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Congrats, Tank

I knew that ranger didn't know who he was messing with :D

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Good on ya Tank!

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

that is freaking awesome, and your getting your boat redun in the same year? keep it up, you are doing something right.

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

What a wonderful honor ..... Congratulations!

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Congratulations!

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Awesome job !!!!

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

...and he's even humble. Very nice, Tankster!

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Congrats Tank

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

WOW, I am impressed.

You are actually one of the good guys. :evilb:

Congratulations :drink:

Chris

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Wow, congrats your a hero. :evilb: When you met Arnold I bet you wanted to tell him "I'll be back"!! :D

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Hey congrats, maybe one of these days you and kelly will have dinner with me and the wife. take care.

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Very cool.
Congrats :drink:

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Tank

YOU ARE THE MAN !!!

Steve

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Hey Tank!!! Congrats!!! :D :D :D

You're a good man!

Kurt

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

TANK! THAT is awesome! Way to Go!
There needs to be more people like you in the world.
My HERO! :woohoo:

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Way to go Tank Congrats

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Congrtas Tank!! :drink:

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Way to go Tank!! You da Man!!

Now go out and have a drink on me :evilb: :evilb:

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

A true American. Good job. :D

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Nice job Tank :drink:

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Nice Tank. Congrats and sorry about a few weeks ago not meeting at Brophys.

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Congrats :drink:


You should of kicked the Terminator in the nuts :evilb: :evilb:

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Congrats Tank!!!! I know you'd do it all over again .. thats what makes you so great!!! :cool:

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Nice to see you getting recognition for a good deed. Congrats.

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

T, you da man :cool:

Tank for PREZ :D

You should have told Arnold you were going to take his job :D :D

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Congratulations on a job well done. Joe Murray

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

ALL RIGHT TANK :D !! Congrats on a job well done. its nice to see a lawman getting thanked for doing something they do, instead of getting blamed for shooting a bad guy who is about to run him over :( . BE PROUD YOU DESIRVE IT :D :D :D

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

PS there seems to be a lot of cops getting hit this year a cross the country it seems or shot at, :mad:

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Hey, nice going Tank. Nice that they gave you some recognition too. ;)

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Thanks everyone for all the kind words.

(Thanks a lot GREG!!). :rolleyes: :D

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Congrats bro !! Good stuff !!

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

He also made the Car and Driver 10 Best isssue this month with a picture of a Fountain lauched off the trailer into a Crew Cab Chevy with the quote, " USE TOW STRAPS".

Good job on both occasions.

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

Nice going Tank!!!!

After seeing you with Arnold, I think we need to call you the Tankonator. :drink:

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

great job tant.keep it up.ill pay my ticket for my window tint lol.thanks great dead

Re: Way to go Tank!!
 

You Da MAN!!!