Ten people were honored today at the Governor’s Lifesaving Awards Ceremony at the Iowa State Fair.
Perhaps the most harrowing story amongst the awardees belonged to Jackson County Board Supervisor Larry Koos. On September 9, 2014 a disgruntled resident pulled a gun at a Board of Supervisors meeting.
Francis Glaser was upset about an ongoing disagreement with the county over property taxes.
Right after Glaser fired in the direction of the county assessor; Koos bear-hugged the man and wrestled him to the floor, which was covered in glass from the first gunshot. Glaser’s gun fired a second time, killing him but missing Koos, who was holding Glaser to the ground. No one else was killed.
"I wasn't afraid at the time. I was pretty calm, surprisingly," says Koos. "If you believe in divine intervention or whatever, some had me using my whole body and my whole brain to do the right thing."
Koos says he sustained permanent nerve damage from cuts to his wrists while he was restraining Glaser on the floor.
Des Moines carpenter Zachary Nelson also was honored. On January 9, 2015, Nelson arrived home from work at 4:00 pm and noticed smoke coming from the upper portion of his neighbor's home.
Darrel Chesmore lived next door and uses a wheelchair, which means he needed help to safely evacuate. Nelson ran into the home, assisted Chesmore into his wheelchair, moved his neighbor outside, and then checked the home to be sure no one else was there.
"I wasn't afraid, I was just worried about the number of people they had in the house...they always had quite a few people in their house," says Nelson. "Our houses were so close. So I just wanted to make sure everyone got out of their house and then give the fire department a call to make sure nothing else happened."
Nelson says his six years in the Marine Corps helped him stay calm and alert during the rescue.
Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Commission Roxanne Ryan of the Iowa Department of Public Safety and Colonel Michael Van Berkum of the Iowa State Patrol were all in attendance.
