Lincoln, Nebraska, police sergeant and Carnegie Medal recipient Tu Anh Tran was recently honored by then-(46th) President Joe Biden on Jan. 3 with the Medal of Valor. The medal is awarded annually by the President to public safety officers who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life.
On Feb. 22, 2023, in Lincoln, Tran entered frigid water to rescue a 27-yearold woman who remained in the driver’s seat of a sedan that entered a golf course pond and began to sink.
He received the Carnegie Medal for Heroism for the rescue the same year.
The air temperature was in the low 20s with a single-digit wind chill, when Police Sergeant Tran, 36, was alerted to the incident and responded to the pond. Tran ran down to the bank, removed his ballistic vest and duty belt, and entered the water in his uniform and boots. He reached the vehicle, which by then was submerged except for its trunk. Tran pulled on the handle of the rear, driver’s-side door, opening it. He submerged his face in the water, but its murkiness made visibility limited. Tran reached inside the sedan and felt the woman’s legs as she submerged, resurfaced, and grasped Tran by his arms. He then grasped her arm and shoulder and pulled her free of the vehicle, which fully submerged seconds later. Holding onto the woman by her shirt, Tran towed her as he swam toward the closer bank. When they reached wadable water, others assisted Tran and the woman out of the pond to safety. The woman was cold and was taken by ambulance to a hospital to be monitored. She was later released and recovered the following day. Tran was cold and nearly exhausted, but he did not seek treatment, and recovered.
Officer Tran said he was humbled to be recognized along with the other seven recipients of the Medal of Valor and talked about the significance of being able to stand in the Oval Office with the President.
“Talking to President Biden, that was an awesome, incredible experience. Politics aside, still the most powerful man in the world…,” he said. “(There is) an incredible history in that room. Shaking his hand and getting the Medal of Valor was awesome.”
Along with individually talking with Biden and introducing him to his family, Sgt. Tran said the President gave the Medal of Valor recipients a private tour of the Oval Office and two other offices nearby, taking his time with the group and sharing personal stories.
This latest recognition adds to a long list of accolades for Officer Tran. He has previously received the Mayor’s Award of Excellence from Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and the Lincoln Police Department’s Police Medal of Honor and Life Saving Award.
Tran was also recently selected by his representatives, senators Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer, to attend the State of the Union in Washington, D.C., in March 2024, and was honored for his service to his community.