Hero of the Week 63

Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

Officer Charles Troyer

Charles Troyer was born on September 25, 1943, in Baltimore, Maryland. After serving the US Navy, he joined the Anne Arundel Country Police Department in October of 1967. For the next seven years, he worked as a policeman and protected his country. Nothing could have prepared him for the events of February 22, 1974.

That day, Officer Troyer was working at Baltimore/Washington International Airport. While he was getting himself some coffee, he heard gunshots coming from one of the boarding gates. He raced to the gate and found a fellow officer lying in a pool of blood. After calling for backup, Officer Troyer took the fallen officer's weapon and ran down the corridor where the shooter had gone. As he approached the airplane, (Delta Airlines Flight 523) the shooter opened fire on Troyer who pulled two flight attendants out of harms way. The shooter than slammed the airplane's doors shut, locked it, and took more than a dozen people hostage. 

After being denied entry, Officer Troyer quickly descended to the tarmac with other officers and attempted to shoot out the aircraft's tires. However their bullets were not strong enough to penetrate the tires' thick rubber. After hearing more gunfire from inside the plane, Officer Troyer returned to the corridor and peered through one of the windows. From there, he spotted the shooter and took aim with his revolver. As soon as the shooter walked by the window, Troyer fired four shots. Two of the bullets penetrated the window and struck the suspect who immediately dropped. As other police began to pull open the door, a final shot was fired. 

When they finally opened the door they saw that the shooter had committed suicide after he was shot by Officer Troyer. Lying next to him was a briefcase that contained a bomb. After the passengers and crew were evacuated, the bomb was moved to the tarmac where it harmlessly detonated without killing or injuring anyone. An investigation later revealed that the gunman was planning to assassinate President Richard Nixon by hijacking a jetliner and flying it into the White House. 

For his heroism that day, Officer Charles Troyer was honored by the city of Baltimore. He went on to serve 37 years in the police department before he was forced to retire after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. He passed away on September 22, 2016, at the age of 72.

Charles Troyer is one of many police officers who put their lives on the line in order to keep us safe and secure every day. When the time came, he sprang into action and fought back against a deadly terrorist who aimed to kill many people. He is definitely someone to be held in high regard.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2005-11-13-0511120472-story.html

http://digitaledition.baltimoresun.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=1112a382-2fbb-4be1-876d-d4f4c9404959

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/sep/24/charles-butch-troyer-officer-who-halted-1974-hijac/

https://www.capitalgazette.com/news/crime/ph-ac-cn-obit-troyer-0924-20160923-story.html

Hero of the Week 62

Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

Peter Francisco

Peter Francisco was born on July 9, 1760, in the Archipelago of the Azores. He immigrated with his family to Prince George County, Virginia in 1765. Much of his early life there has not been conclusively documented. One thing that has been accurately recorded, is that Francisco would become a patriot and play a crucial role in the American Revolution.

In 1776, Peter Francisco enlisted in the 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment. By the next year, he saw combat at Brandywine, Fort Mifflin, and Germantown. Francisco's height of 6 feet by 6 inches (earning him the nickname, Virginia Giant) made him a constant target on the battlefield. He was severely wounded during the climactic battle of Monmouth Court House. But one of Francisco's greatest acts of valor was his conduct during the Capture of Stony Point.

On the night of July 16, 1779, a Patriot army (under the command of Anthony Wayne) prepared to launch an attack on a British fort located at Stony Point, New York. Francisco was in the vanguard of this attack and was among the first to enter the fort. Within seconds of entering, he was attacked by numerous British defenders. Despite being severely wounded, Francisco killed three defenders and captured a British flag (the loss of this flag was judged to be a pivotal moment in the assault on Stony Point). After less than an hour of fighting, the British garrison at Stony Point surrendered. Francisco's heroism during the assault was mentioned by General Wayne himself in a letter to George Washington.

Peter Francisco also displayed great courage two years later, during the battle of Guilford Courthouse. At this pivotal battle, he personally killed eleven British soldiers in hand to hand combat (while he was again, severely wounded). A month later, while he was riding alone, Francisco was ambushed by nine British dragoons. In the fight that followed, he successfully killed three before forcing the rest to retreat. Two months later, Francisco was present during the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia. All in all, Peter Francisco had participated in at least nine battles and skirmishes.

After the war, Peter Francisco settled down in Virginia and raised a family. He spent his last years as the Sergeant-at-arms to the Virginia State Senate. He died on January 16, 1831, at the age of 70. Today he is remembered as one of America's greatest soldiers during the Revolution.   

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/peter-francisco

https://www.historynet.com/peter-francisco-remarkable-american-revolutionary-war-soldier.htm

https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/battle-of-stony-point/

https://books.google.com/books?id=WtURAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA217&dq=Peter+Francisco+1820+petition+to+Virginia+Assembly&hl=en&ei=0rixTNSxBYyMnQe60pyUBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Peter%20Francisco%201820%20petition%20to%20Virginia%20Assembly&f=false