Michigan letter carrier given hero award for rescuing school girl from dog attack
A letter carrier from Michigan who rescued a girl from a dog attack is among the National Association of Letter Carriers Heroes of the Year.
Rungphet Bodnar of the Mid-Michigan Branch 256 was among those honored during the NALC's annual awards program on March 20 in Washington. She was presented with the Central Region Hero Award.
The NALC represents more than 295,000 active and retired city letter carriers who work for the U.S. Postal Service. A panel of independent judges meets to review stories of bravery heroism and community service that have been reported to the organization while the letter carriers were on their routes to determine each year's winners.
Bodnar's story involved an emergency situation she noticed on April 11 when driving her mail route in Flint. She noticed children running and screaming at a bus stop and realized that a dog was dragging a girl by her leg, the NALC related.
Another woman was trying to rescue the child, but the dog kept pulling the child from the adult's grip.
Bodnar stopped her postal delivery vehicle, got out, and applied her emergency dog spray several times against the animal. After a few minutes, the two women were able to pry the dog off and free the girl.
The child was taken to a nearby hospital, she had multiple surgeries as a result of her wounds. The girl was able to return to school about a month later.
"She comes up to me and gives me hugs. Every time she sees the mail truck, she comes running. That's the best," Bodnar said when receiving her award.
"We are immensely proud of what the heroes being recognized did," NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. "They represent our country's best in public service. They truly are our heroes."
