In honor of his sacrifice, a local hero was recognized in a ceremony at Erie VA Medical Center.
Marine Corps veteran and former Erie Police Officer Richard Williams received a Blue Heart.
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In 1987, he responded to a large disturbance when a person hit him in the head from behind, giving him a traumatic brain injury that forced him to retire.
Williams served 19 years in the EPD and was also a post advisor in the Police Explorer Program.
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“He mentored me in the early 1980’s and steered myself and several other members of the explorer post to careers in law enforcement and I had a wonderful career in law enforcement. So it’s a full-circle moment being able to come back here and pay respect to him,” said Bob Bemis, the Wounded Blue director of training.
The Wounded Blue is a national organization founded to support and honor officers who are injured or disabled. Williams says being an officer is not a uniform but an attitude.
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