Heroes Live Forever Podcast

McLean, VA (October 13, 2026) - Patrolman Derek Kotecki was the kind of police officer communities rarely forget — an 18‑year veteran of the Lower Burrell (PA) Police Department, a devoted K‑9 handler, and a man universally described as fair, compassionate, and deeply committed to protecting others. Heroes Live Forever offers a powerful tribute on the 15th anniversary of his supreme sacrifice. It...

McLean, VA (October 6, 2026) - The latest episode of Heroes Live Forever honors five DEA special agents who lost their lives on August 27, 1994, when their aircraft crashed in the foothills of Peru’s Andes Mountains during an Operation Snowcap reconnaissance mission. Frank Fernandez Jr., Jay W. Seale, Meredith Thompson, Juan C. Vars, and Frank S. Wallace Jr. were part of one of the most dangerous...

McLean, VA (September 29, 2026) - Before she ever wore a badge, Mary Ricard wore an apron. She walked away from a successful career as a pastry chef because she wanted more — she wanted to impact lives. So she joined the Colorado Department of Corrections, worked her way up to Sergeant, and spent nine years standing the line that most people never see, between the public and those deemed too dange...

McLean, VA (September 22, 2026) - This week’s “Heroes Live Forever” podcast shares the powerful and deeply human story of Auburn (MA) Police Officer Ronald Tarentino Jr., who was tragically killed during a late‑night traffic stop on May 22, 2016. The episode traces the final moments of his service, the massive manhunt that followed, and the extraordinary courage shown by responding officers. But t...

McLean, VA (September 16, 2026) - Sergeant Michael Christopher “Junior” Weigand’s story is one of devotion, service, and a family’s unbroken love. Eighteen years after his death, the reflections left by those who knew him — especially his mother, Kim — reveal a young officer whose impact continues to grow long after his final ride. In this episode of Heroes Live Forever , we revisit the life of a...

McLean, VA (September 1, 2026) - On August 26, 1994, Saint Paul endured one of the darkest days in its history. In the span of just a few hours, Officers Ronald Michael Ryan Jr. , Timothy James Jones , and K9 Laser were ambushed and murdered while doing what they had always done—protecting their community with courage, compassion, and unwavering devotion. Their deaths triggered one of the largest...

McLean, Va (August 25, 2026) - Officer David Charles Sherrard’s story is one of courage, character, and a life lived in service — and in this week’s Heroes Live Forever tribute, we revisit the night that changed Richardson, Texas forever. A 13‑year veteran of the Richardson Police Department, SWAT sniper team leader, and beloved field training officer, David was the kind of cop who shaped everyone...

McLean, VA (August 18, 2026) - The latest Heroes Live Forever episode tells the story of North Miami Police Sgt. Carl Wallace Mertes, a man whose courage, compassion, and quiet strength left a permanent mark on his department and his community. On November 5, 1980, Sgt. Mertes responded to back up another officer at a nearby park in the early morning hours. What began as a routine assist turned de...

McLean, VA (August 11, 2026) - New York City Detective Steven D. McDonald’s story is one of the most extraordinary in the history of American law enforcement. In 1986, a teenage gunman in Central Park fired three shots that left Steven paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on a ventilator. Doctors said he wouldn’t survive the night. Instead, Steven lived another 31 years — not in bitterness o...

McLean, VA (August 4, 2026) - Massachusetts State Trooper Kevin Trainor’s story is one of devotion, courage, and a life lived with purpose — even at just 30 years old. Sadly, his life was taken on May 6, 2026. In this week’s Heroes Live Forever tribute, listeners are taken inside the heartbreaking final moments on Route 1 in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, where Kevin responded to a wrong‑way driver and...

McLean, VA (July 28, 2026) - Los Angeles Policeman Keith Gregory DuPuis was just 27 when a traffic stop turned into a deadly ambush that forever changed the LAPD. Shot by a wanted felon, Keith fought for eleven days before succumbing to his wounds on October 27, 1966—leaving behind his wife, Beverly, and their children Gregg, Curtis, and Toni. In this week’s Heroes Live Forever tribute, we bring l...

McLean, VA (July 21, 2026) - Trooper William Howard “Bill” Phillips was just 33 when he died on July 30, 1987, in an on‑duty crash on Route 35 near Winfield, West Virginia — a loss that devastated his family, his fellow troopers, and the community he served with quiet, unwavering dedication. In this week’s Heroes Live Forever tribute, we remember Bill not only as a State Trooper and Air Force vete...

McLean, VA (July 14, 2026) - Officer Robert W. Blan , Badge 886, was just 24 when a routine 2:30 a.m. traffic stop in West Oakland turned violent and cost him his life. A United States Army Military Police veteran and a young father, Officer Blan served the Oakland (CA) Police Department with courage and compassion. The podcast recounts the deadly struggle in which a suspect wrested away his servi...

McLean, VA (July 7, 2026) - On January 12, 1990 , Alabama Correctional Officer William E. “Bill” Donaldson entered a segregation unit at the West Jefferson Correctional Institute to escort a nurse to dispense medication to an inmate — a routine act of care and duty that correctional officers perform countless times a day. In that moment, a prisoner attacked him, stabbing him to death. It was a sud...

McLean, VA (June 30, 2026) - Elko County (NV)Deputy Sheriff Denny Van Lawrence responded to what seemed like a minor crash on Highway 93 on June 26, 1982 — unaware the driver had murdered two people hours earlier. As Denny ran the man’s license, the suspect shot him in the forehead, leaving him unable to speak and partially paralyzed for the next 30 years. As Denny’s assailant attempted to steal a...

McLean, VA (June 23, 2026) - On the night of November 7, 2010, Riverside (CA) Police Officer Ryan Patrick Bonaminio was doing what he had always done — serving his community with quiet professionalism and a warrior’s heart. At just 28 years old, Ryan had already lived a life defined by service. He spent four years as a military policeman in the United States Army, completing two tours in support o...

McLean, VA (June 16, 2026) - In the early morning hours of June 12, 2002, Harris County, Texas, Sheriff’s Deputy Shane R. Bennett responded to a call no officer ever forgets — a frantic teenage girl reporting that masked gunmen had forced their way into her family’s home. It was 1:30 a.m. when Shane and two other deputies arrived at the residence in northeast Harris County. Inside, the situation w...

McLean, VA (June 10, 2026) - On August 16, 2012, the St. John the Baptist Parish (LA) Sheriff’s Office endured one of the most devastating days in its history — a day defined by courage, sacrifice, and the deadly threat posed by violent extremism. Deputies Brandon Joseph Nielsen , age 34, and Jeremy Michael Triche , age 27, were murdered in LaPlace, Louisiana, by members of the Sovereign Citizens,...

McLean, VA (June 2, 2026) - On the morning of January 14, 1998, around 11 a.m., Kansas City (MO) Police Officer Thomas R. Meyers responded to a traffic crash. He was doing what he had done countless times before — stepping into danger so that others could be safe. While speaking with the stranded motorist, a vehicle approached the scene at 80 miles per hour, driving erratically. It slammed into th...

McLean, VA (May 19, 2026) - This week’s Heroes Live Forever podcast honors Officer Trey Michael Hutchison of the Bossier City (LA) Police Department, who was ambushed and killed on August 11, 2004, while responding to a 911 hang‑up call from a woman in danger. Trey had served just under one year in Bossier City after five and a half years with the Lufkin (TX) Police Department, and at only 27 year...

McLean, VA (May 12, 2026) - On June 10, 2001, Metro Transit Police Officer Marlon Morales confronted a fare evader leaving a Metro Station in Washington, D.C. It was the kind of routine encounter that officers handle countless times in their careers. But this one turned deadly in an instant. During the confrontation, the suspect suddenly pulled out a handgun and shot Officer Morales in the face. M...

McLean, VA (May 6, 2026) - Police Officer Wayne A. Leon of the Cleveland Division of Police, was shot and killed during a traffic stop on June 25, 2000. He was just 32 years old, a six‑year veteran of the department, a husband, a father, and a man whose impact on his family and his city continues to echo more than two decades later. Officer Leon was conducting what appeared to be a routine traffic...

McLean, VA (April 29, 2026) - On the night of June 3, 1987, Denver Patrolman James E. Wier, responded to a disturbance call. He and his partner were met with an ambush attack. Their assailant was a man who had long hated police. He even posted signs on his porch expressing his anger. The gunman began shooting at the two officers and when Patrolman Wier stood to return fire he was hit in the face a...

McLean, VA (April 21, 2026) - On April 16, 1998, Brandon H. Thacker of the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control was shot and killed. While traveling along the Western Kentucky Parkway, heading to an undercover assignment, Brandon encountered a driver whose erratic and hazardous behavior demanded intervention. When Brandon attempted to pull him over, the man opened fire before Brandon...

McLean, VA (April 14, 2026) - Their names are Vicky Armel and Michael Garbarino, two Fairfax County police officers whose courage, sacrifice, and devotion to duty will forever stand as one of the most painful and defining moments in the history of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Department. They were killed in the same violent attack — an ambush that unfolded in the back parking lot of the Su...