COMMUNITY NEWS
HERO OF THE YEAR: 2007
La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux is proud of its selection of Dennis Engdahl as our 2007 Hero of the Year.
Dennis joined the Naval Reserves in 1960 while still in high school and, after graduation, went on active duty for two years. He then reenlisted in the Reserves and stayed until 1996 when he retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 with 36 years of total service. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Jo Ann, and they have two grown sons, Tim and Kent, as well as four grandchildren.
Dennis is currently employed by Harrison county, Texas as the County Fire Marshall and holds current certifications as a Police Officer, Fire Fighter, Arson Investigator and Fire Safety Instructor. He also belongs to numerous Fire and Arson Associations/Organizations and is the Chairman for the County Emergency Planning Committee.
He is an active member of the American Legion Post 14 in Shreveport, LA. He is also a member of Voiture Locale 137 in the same area. This year, he is serving as both Legion Post Commander and Chef de Train in his Voiture.
As you can see, Dennis keeps busy. Even so, on the afternoon of August 18, 2006, he found time to exhibit both courage and heroism without hesitation. While driving back to his office, he came upon a scene which he soon realized to be a life and death situation. A police officer was on the ground struggling with a male subject who had managed to gain control of the officer's pistol. By that time, the officer had been shot in the hand and was, therefore, at a physical disadvantage. As Dennis approached the men, he could see that the business end of the weapon was pointing in his direction. Without fearing for his own saftety, he immediately joined the officer in subduing and disarming the subject. In hind sight, Dennis relates that the bore of the 9mm looked a whole lot bigger that day than he previously remembered. While receiving awards from local law enforcement for his bravery, the fact that everyone believes he saved a life makes his actions very scary, very real and very outstanding.
It seems a given that we would all be proud to call military veteran Dennis Engdahl a fellow comrade, a fellow Voyageur and a friend who also just happens to be a hero.
Here is Dennis holding his award mentioned above in our memorial brick garden.
