Police officers put their lives on the line daily to serve their fellow citizens.

Wednesday, two Raleigh County sheriff’s deputies were hailed as heroes by their own colleagues.

“Thanks for taking care of us,” said Sgt. Jim Miller as he shook the hands of Deputies John Grose and Ray Hall.

Grose and Hall were presented with the “Order of Meritus Conduct” award by both Sheriff Danny Moore and Chief Deputy/Sheriff-Elect Steve Tanner at a Wednesday afternoon ceremony. Tanner explained Grose and Hall are the first to receive this honor.

“We are here to honor two colleagues who have gone beyond their normal duties,” Moore said. “It’s a privilege to let the public know the people who work for them.”

On July 18, Hall, a deputy for eight years, was dispatched to a child abuse complaint from a woman’s neighbor. He said that when he arrived on-scene, the mother was apparently hiding the child. He and others searched for the child for about an hour to an hour-and-a-half until they found the child — who was beaten severely. The child is now in safe hands, and the mother was arrested.

“It’s good to know the child is in a safe place. I don’t think the child would have made it,” he said. “I just had the feeling something wasn’t right.”

April 26, Grose was dispatched to a routine call in MacArthur — where a psychiatric patient ran into a house and set it on fire, Moore said. Grose, a 31⁄2-year deputy, ran into the burning house to rescue the man and anyone else who may have been inside.

“This man had burns covering about 50 percent of his body, but his life was saved because of Deputy Grose’s actions,” Moore said.

“Initially, I was thinking about the heat — It was hot,” Grose said. “I just made sure he got out and that no one else was in there.’

“I care about the public. That’s why I’m here.”

Grose is also a U.S. Army veteran who has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he has relied on the training he received in the Army to get through stressful situations.

Both men said they were excited and overwhelmed to receive such an honor from their supervisors and in front of both colleagues and family members.

“I don’t have the words to explain it,” Hall said. “It’s just unreal.”

Tanner said future Order of Meritus Conduct awards will be given as often as supervisors see fit.

“In 2009, we may have none, or we may have 15,” he said. “We will put the trust in our supervisors, and (the decision) will go up the chain.’

“These men are both heroes at their jobs. When they do more than their jobs, it is important to others that they move up to some type of higher standing. If there were another burning house with someone inside, John Grose would run into it tomorrow. He and Ray Hall both stand out in their profession. This is what we want.”

— E-mail:

apridemore@register-herald.com