Around Town … with Robert Airoldi: Three GPD officers receive Medals of Valor for Garlic Festival heroism

“Today’s Medal of Valor honorees demonstrated unparalleled heroism in service to their communities, risking their own safety to save lives,” Gov. Newsom said.

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By Robert Airoldi

Here’s some news to make everyone in our community proud of our public safety employees in blue.

Three Gilroy Police Department officers were awarded with the state’s Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, California’s highest award for law enforcement service, by Gov. Gavin Newsom Jan. 22.

Detectives Eric Cryar and Robert Basuino and Officer Hugo Del Moral received the honor for their bravery in taking action to save lives during the Gilroy Garlic Festival mass shooting.

“For their extraordinary bravery, heroism and courage in the face of imminent and personal life-threatening peril, Cryar’s, Basuino’s and Del Moral’s actions were above and beyond the call of duty and exemplify the highest standards of a California public safety officer,” according to a press release issued by the governor’s office.

On the last hour of the festival July 29, 2019, the three were patrolling the grounds. They were about 150 yards south of an armed suspect when he began shooting. Cryar, a military veteran, immediately recognized the sound of an AK-47 style assault rifle. Cryar and Basuino and Del Moral ran north through the park toward the gunfire.

When the suspect saw the officers running toward him, he stopped his attack on the crowd and began firing on them. The three cops returned fire. “Though out-gunned by the suspect’s AK-47 style assault rifle, they demonstrated remarkable marksmanship and struck the suspect multiple times in the chest, back, legs and hand from a significant distance, all while under fire,” according to the press release.

The suspect turned his rifle on himself, inflicting a fatal gunshot wound.

“Today’s Medal of Valor honorees demonstrated unparalleled heroism in service to their communities, risking their own safety to save lives,” Newsom said. “Their actions are an inspiration to all of us and we offer our deep reverence and gratitude to these extraordinary individuals for the sacrifices they make every day to protect their fellow Californians.”

A virtual ceremony on Facebook was held Jan. 25.

It’s good to know that these three officers received recognition for the actions they took that prevented a horrible tragedy from becoming much worse.

Of course, let’s also acknowledge that our police officers also help with the small things in making the Garlic Capital a great place to live. Gilroyan David Matuszak sent us an email that offers an inspiring story. When he was out walking his dogs at Miller Avenue and Fourth Street Jan. 20 and found a set of keys lying in the street, he picked them up and saw they included a Lexus key and home or office keys. He called the police emergency number and was told an officer would come by to pick them up.

“I waited a few minutes for Officer Nestor Quinones to arrive, Matuszak told us. “He took the keys and told me he would cruise the area and see if he could locate a Lexus that would respond to the unlock button. I was astonished he would take the time to try to find the owner this way. I proceeded to continue walking the dogs and saw the officer several times driving around. He stopped to let me know that he hadn’t found a car, yet, but would return the keys to the station in case someone called looking for them. In this time of constant criticism of the police, it was very rewarding to meet Officer Quinones and have the opportunity to  observe his dedication to the public. He should  be recognized for outstanding community service.”

We agree. So a tip of the hat to you, Officer Quinones, for going above and beyond your duty.

Looking for a great gift to give your friends or family members and show your support for the Gilroy community? Consider purchasing a “COVID STINKS” t-shirt or two from the California Welcome Center at the Gilroy Premium Outlets shopping center. They cost $25 and were hot sellers during the holidays.

“The Gilroy Garlic Festival has been one of the retail vendors at the Welcome Center since the opening of the center in 2013,” Jane Howard, the center’s executive director, told us. “When we were approached by the Garlic Festival to inquire if we would add these shirts to our inventory we were delighted to do so. The Garlic Festival Association was offering these shirts online or at pop-up locations on weekends. However, California Welcome Center Gilroy provided an opportunity to purchase the shirts seven days a week in a physical location.”

In addition to the COVID-19 themed shirts, the center also added Garlic Festival logo masks to its inventory.

“The shirts are unique and a quality product,” Howard said.

Gilroy Life publisher Marty Cheek received one of the shirts as a gift and wears it proudly. The apparel serves as a wonderful way for the community to support the Garlic Festival Association and the California Welcome Center Gilroy.

The Santa Clara County Board of Education last month elected its officers for 2021 and South Valley resident Claudia Rossi was named president for a second term. She was first elected to the board in 2014.

“2020 was a challenging year for us all, and it revealed our strength, tenacity and resilience in many important ways,” she said.

The board held an induction ceremony to swear in newly elected and re-elected trustees in December. The oath of office was administered for newly elected trustee Victoria Chon and re-elected members Joseph Di Salvo, Rosemary Kamei, and Grace H. Mah. The ceremony began and ended with performances by the Mountain View High School Madrigals Choir, under the direction of Jill Denny.

We hope the year 2021 will be a better time for our public school students and teachers, and hopefully if the vaccines distribution works well they can return physically to classrooms later this term or in the fall.