Honors for officers who helped stop Pentagon shooter

The evening of March 4, a troubled man named John Patrick Bedell, 36, opened fire at the entrance to the Pentagon.

This week a ceremony was held by the Association of Former Agents of the U.S. Secret Service to honor to honor the two Pentagon Force Protection Agency police officers wounded in a shootout that ended with Bedell's death.

Officer Jeffery Amos's shoulder was grazed by the gunfire. Marvin L. Carraway Jr. has said a bullet just broke the skin of his thigh. My colleage Christian Davenport chronicled their account of those harrowing moments.

Amos and Carraway were given the Harry E. Neal award and a check for $1,000.

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency described the ceremony and the comments of participants in a press release. "We're blessed to have these types of people willing to serve their country knowing the danger they could face," Ike Hendershot, association president, said. "To me, they are heroes."

Amos said he was honored but "very humbled" upon receiving the award. "I know it all could have turned out very differently," he said.

"I hope we get more recruits motivated" to choose a career in law enforcement, said Carraway.

Founded in 1971, the Association of Former Agents of the U.S. Secret Service was established in 1971 to support law enforcement families who have experienced trauma or financial need.

>-- Maria Glod