3 July 2005
Governor honors public safety workers in Holton, Seneca and Marysville
SENECA, Kan. -- As the nation celebrates its freedom this weekend, Governor Kathleen Sebelius on Sunday honored the men and women who help protect us at home and abroad with events in three Kansas communities.
Standing in front of a fire engine and surrounded by first responders at a morning ceremony in Holton, the Governor praised public safety workers for their willingness to put themselves in harm's way.
"Our society depends on your willingness to serve. You know the risks, yet you still step forward to protect people you may have never even met. That is the true definition of heroism," Sebelius said.
After visiting with these everyday heroes, and with local leaders and residents, Sebelius traveled on to Seneca where she also honored police, firefighters, and emergency medical workers. She thanked them for their service and also encouraged Kansans to continue to show their support for the men and women who serve our communities.
"If you value your safety, thank a police officer, or a firefighter, or a paramedic. If you value your freedom, thank a soldier, or a sailor, or an airman or Marine," the Governor said at an early afternoon event. "On behalf of the people of Kansas, thank you for the safety and freedom we enjoy."
While in Marysville, the Governor honored police, firefighters and paramedics in that community, as well as local residents who recently returned from a Kansas National Guard deployment to Iraq.
Sunday's visits were part of a three-day tour by the Governor of North Central and Northwest Kansas. Sunday afternoon she also stopped in Washington to throw out the first pitch at the Pee-Wee Baseball Championship game before heading on to Belleville to start the races at the High Banks Race Track.
The tour was originally scheduled to last six days and take the Governor around the edge of the state, but the Legislature's ongoing Special Session for Kansas Schools will force the second half of the tour to be postponed.
