TEXAS, USA — Texas Governor Greg Abbott commemorated Stanton Volunteer Firefighter Danny Keith Ireton and 22 other Texans on Wednesday with the 2024 Star of Texas Award, according to Governor Abbott's Press Office. The award is given out to peace officers, firefighters and first responders that demonstrate heroism and sacrifice in service to their communities.
“Today, we mark another anniversary of September 11, 2001,” Gov. Abbott said in a press release. “It’s a day that no American will ever forget. To serve as a first responder is to answer a higher calling. It means putting yourself between danger and the people you serve. It requires extraordinary courage, dedication, and commitment to protect those in need. The Gospel of John reminds us that 'greater love hath no man than this, to lay one’s life for others'—that is what we honor today. Men and women who were injured in the line of duty, and men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. To all the law enforcement officers, I cannot express enough the gratitude we have for all you do to keep your fellow Texans and our communities safe, and for the risks you take every single day.”
Below is the full list of recipients for the award:
- Firefighter Brady Weaver, Arlington Fire Department.
- Officer Matthew J. Thorpe, Arlington Police Department.
- Battalion Chief Travis Lee Maher, Austin Fire Department.
- Sergeant Val Barnes, Austin Independent School District.
- Senior Officer Anthony Dupree Martin, Austin Police Department.
- Officer Ysidro Ramon Mendoza, Austin Police Department.
- Detective Joseph Strother, Austin Police Department.
- Officer Steven Robert Nothem II, Carrollton Police Department.
- Officer Kyle Mathew Hicks, Corpus Christi Police Department.
- Senior Officer Vicente Mathew Ortiz Jr., Corpus Christi Police Department.
- Detective Edgar F. Morales, Dallas Police Department.
- Officer Tyler Morris, Dallas Police Department.
- Deputy David Walter Bosecker, Eastland County Sheriff’s Office.
- Deputy Joseph J. Villarreal, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office.
- Officer David R. Lipsey Jr., Graham Police Department.
- Deputy Armando Esqueda, Harris County Sherriff’s Office.
- Senior Deputy Hugo Rodriguez, Hidalgo County Sherriff’s Office.
- Sergeant Mauricio Valle, Houston Police Department.
- Lieutenant Milton Gabriel Resendez, San Benito Police Department.
- Firefighter Danny Keith Ireton, Stanton Volunteer Fire Department.
- Deputy Brent Brown, Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office.
- Trooper Lyndon Johnson, Texas Department of Public Safety.
- Officer Troy Costello, Woodville Police Department.
