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Arlington heroes honored
with state’s Medal of Valor
Two Arlington men, Timothy
Bourasaw and Rick Bowers, today were presented the state’s highest honor
for citizen heroism, the state Medal of Valor, for saving two strangers
whose car caught fire on Feb. 28, 2006 after an accident on State Route
530. Sen. Val Stevens and Reps. Dan Kristiansen and Kirk Pearson
nominated the two men for the annual award.
“In a world where most people don't want to get involved, Rick Bowers
and Timothy Bourasaw are heroes,” said Sen. Val Stevens. “It is written,
'Greater love hath no man than this: that he will lay down his life for
his friends.' Rick and Timothy risked death for total strangers. They
are a credit to the Thirty-ninth District and to the entire state of
Washington.”
The Medal of Valor is awarded by the governor, in the name of the state,
“to any person who has saved, or attempted to save, the life of another
at the risk of serious injury or death to himself or herself” (RCW
1.60.010). Bourasaw and Bowers each received a Certificate of
Appreciation from the city of Arlington shortly after their actions of
Feb. 28, 2006. Now they have been selected to receive the Medal of Valor
because they did what had to be done to save lives, disregarding pending
danger to themselves.
“The selflessness exhibited in the face of danger by Timothy and Rick is
extraordinary,” said Pearson. “Had they not stopped and pulled those two
individuals out of their burning car, there would have been three tragic
deaths that day. When I heard the story of these two heroes, I knew they
deserved to be recognized for going above and beyond, risking their
lives in service to another. I couldn’t be more humbled by their
actions, and I thank them for their courage.”
“When you hear stories like this you might wonder, ‘what would I do if I
was in that situation?’ These two faced that question, and we honor them
today for what they did. It’s appropriate for the Legislature to set
aside some time from doing ‘the people’s business’ to salute people who
weren’t looking for honors when they acted with such valor,” said
Kristiansen. He noted the collision that prompted Bowers’ and Bourasaw’s
actions took place just a week after the Legislature’s 2006 Medal of
Valor ceremony, which saw a medal go to another 39th Legislative
District resident, Jim Swett of Sedro-Woolley.
The award ceremony took place today in the House chambers in the Capitol
Rotunda in a joint session of the Washington State Legislature. A
reception in the Governor’s Mansion will immediately follow the
ceremony. The awards were presented by Governor Christine Gregoire,
Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen, Speaker Pro Tem John Lovick and Secretary
of State Sam Reed. Bourasaw and Bowers were two of the four recipients
who received the Medal of Valor this year.
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