AUSTIN - A Caddo Mills native and Dallas firefighter killed while battling a blaze in 2011 is one of dozens of peace officers, firefighters and emergency medical first responders who have been seriously injured or killed in the line of duty that were honored Friday.
Lt. Todd Krodle was a 1988 graduate of Greenville High School who earned a degree from East Texas State University. Authorities say Krodle, who'd been with the Dallas Fire Department since 1993, fell through the roof of an Oak Cliff apartment while working to contain a fire in August 2011. The Dallas Morning News had this report.
In presenting the Star of Texas Awards Friday at the State Capitol, Gov. Rick Perry said, "Over the past year, Texas has seen its share of disasters, and, once again, we were able to depend upon our best and brightest to come to our defense."
Upon reading some of the names of the fallen, Perry added, "They lived lives of meaning. They're part of a higher calling. And like the other honorees that are here today they helped make Texas a safer, stronger and a better place to live and call home."
The Star of Texas Awards were created by the Texas Legislature in 2003. Three advisory committees are appointed by the Governor to review award nominations each year.
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The Office of the Governor lists the following Star of Texas Awards recipients from 2011:
Emergency Medical First Responders Killed in the Line of Duty
Mike Hatley, East Texas Medical Center EMS
Michael Thomas Steffen, Northern Hudspeth County EMS
Firefighters Killed in the Line of Duty
Todd Wesley Krodle, Dallas Fire-Rescue Department
Thomas Trevino Araguz III, Wharton Volunteer Fire Department
Peace Officers Killed in the Line of Duty
Jaime De Luna Padron, Austin Police Department
Karl McDonough, El Paso Police Department
Javier Arana Jr., Texas Department of Public Safety
Kevin Lee Aigner, Travis County Precinct #2 Constables Office
Firefighters Seriously Injured in the Line of Duty
Robert Paul Shuster, Department of Defense United States Air Force
Captain Darin Unruh, Houston Fire Department
Peace Officers Seriously Injured in the Line of Duty
Steven Bryan Graham, Arlington Police Department
Michael Guetzke, Austin Police Department
Kenneth McDonnell, Austin Police Department
Robert McGowen, Austin Police Department
Gary Morrison, Austin Police Department
David Nordstrom, Austin Police Department
William Phipps, Austin Police Department
Melinda Robinson, Austin Police Department
Jennifer Stephenson, Austin Police Department
Frank R. Wilson, V, Austin Police Department
Carlos Vallejo, Austin Police Department
Bobby Vu, Austin Police Department
Guy Watkins, Austin Police Department
Gary Zumwalt, Austin Police Department
Cougan Dion Hignight, Caldwell Police Department
Aaron Beseda, Cleburne Police Department
Tracy Lynn Sheets, College Station Police Department
Daryl W. Anderson, Corpus Christi Department
Phillip Bintliff, Corpus Christi Police Department
Israel Carrasco, Corpus Christi Police Department
Enrique Roman, Corpus Christi Police Department
Douglas Rush, Corpus Christi Police Department
Jose Smith Jr. Corpus Christi Police Department
Kyle M. Louster, Dallas Police Department
Lloyd Whitaker, Dallas Police Department
Ronald Dane Workman, Dallas Police Department
Ricardo Lopez, El Paso Police Department
Vincent Garcia, Freeport Police Department
Clifford Hankins, Fort Worth Police Department
Osvaldo R. Gutierrez, Houston Police Department
Victor Wayne Hill, Houston Police Department
John Paul Horelica, Houston Police Department
Nainash S. Patel, Houston Police Department
Isidro Perez III, Houston Police Department
Jeffrey Lee Werner, Houston Police Department
Kevin James, Justin Police Department
Martin Anthony Flores, Round Rock Police Department
Jonathan Esquivel, San Antonio Police Department
Fredrick W. Bauer, Tarrant County Sheriff's Office
Justin Duck, Texas Department of Public Safety
Max Chris Honesto, Texas Department of Public Safety
