2012 South Bay Medal of Valor Awards Recipients

							For Immediate Release                            Contact: Matt Bennett
April 20, 2012                                   Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce
                                                 (310) 376-0951/info@hbchamber.net



        SOUTH BAY MEDAL OF VALOR AWARD RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED


       Luncheon Honoring Recipients to be Held on Thursday, May 10th at the Torrance Marriott

Torrance, CA – The South Bay Medal of Valor committee is pleased to announce the honorees for the
2012 South Bay Medal of Valor Awards.
The South Bay Medal of Valor is awarded to outstanding individual police officers and firefighters in the
South Bay who have distinguished themselves by bravery, heroism or other outstanding meritorious
actions beyond the normal demands of protection service.
The Medal of Valor Committee consists of the joint South Bay area Chambers of Commerce (including El
Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Peninsula,
Redondo Beach and Torrance). The Chambers of Commerce work in cooperation with police and fire
departments in awarding the Medal of Valor.
2012 Award Winners are:

Medal of Valor

El Segundo Fire Department
     Fire Engineer, Mitch Emerson

Hawthorne Police Department
    Detective Mark Kirunchyk                    Officer Wilbert Pereira

Inglewood Police Department:
     Detective Jack Aranda                      Detective Will Salmon
     Officer Adam Butler                        Officer Cesare Jurado
     Officer Frederick Osorio                   Officer Neurit Yanez
     Officer Gerardo Aceves                     Officer Hector Villavicencio




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Sustained Superiority Award
Gardena Police Department:
     Lieutenant Russ Temple

Hawthorne Police Department
    Detective, Mark Kirunchyk                 Detective, Timothy Johnson

Torrance Police Department:
     Cold Case Homicide Detective, James Wallace

Inglewood Police Department:
     Lieutenant Mike Marshall

Distinguished Service Award
Gardena Police Department:
     Lieutenant Vicente Osorio                Sergeant Brian Messina
     Detective Edgar Vargas                   Detective Brian Park
     Detective Hugo Gualotuna                 Detective Daniel Guzzo
     Detective John Francis                   Detective Richard Reynaga
     Officer Louie Schwartz                   Officer Brian Hattingh

Inglewood Police Department:
     Officer Jose Barragan                    Officer Brett Birkbeck
     Officer Aaron Escobedo                   Officer Marcco Ware

Torrance Fire Department:
     Captain, Michael Simmons                 Captain, James Strock
     Engineer, Michael Enfield                Firefighter/Paramedic, Tad Friedman
     Firefighter/Paramedic, Jody Radtke

** 38th ANNUAL SOUTH BAY MEDAL OF VALOR LUNCHEON INFORMATION **

WHAT:          38th Annual South Bay Medal of Valor Luncheon

WHEN:          Thursday, May 10, 2012 – 11:00 AM: Reception; Noon: Luncheon

WHERE:         Torrance Marriott South Bay Hotel, 3635 Fashion Way, Torrance, CA

WHO:           Honoring Local Police and Firefighters for distinguished acts of bravery
               Glen Walker from KTLA, emcee

MORE INFO:     Tickets are available for $35 each or $350 for a table of 10.
               Please visit: www.SouthBayMedalofValor.com for more information


     For more information on the South Bay Medal of Valor Luncheon, please visit our website at
                                 www.SouthBayMedalofValor.com