On Monday September 3rd two Nebraska State Patrol Troopers were honored with the Military Order of the Purple Heart “First Responder Citation” at the Nebraska State fair in Grand Island.
Both troopers Timothy Flick and Jeffery Van Stelton were nominated by a retired NSP sergeant and MOPH member Tom Nutt.
Trooper Van Stelton is a six-year veteran of the Nebraska State Patrol assigned to Troop-D of North Platte. Van Stelton survived a dangerous and fiery crash when he collided with an unlicensed driver on west bound Highway 34 near Stratton in Hitchcock County. Van Stelton was responding to a call for assistance.
A release from the NSP says:
“The actions and courage demonstrated by these officers under stressful situations is something we can all be thankful for,” said Colonel David Sankey, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “It is times like these that highlight the importance of training for all types of situations. We are very proud of those honored and are pleased to see them back on the job.”
Van Stelton suffered serious injuries to his pelvis, legs and arm.