TUCSON – Two Willcox Station Border Patrol agents were among several awardees honored during U.S. Representative Martha McSally’s second annual Congressional First Responder of Distinction award ceremony.
Agents Adam Alessi and Joseph Tukovits each received a “Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition” for their actions on June 14 following an accident on Interstate 10. When the agents arrived at the accident scene, they discovered a man whose right arm was nearly severed. The agents quickly applied a tourniquet to prevent the man from bleeding out and ultimately saved his life and his arm.
This year, award nominations included first responders from the Arizona Department of Public Safety; Arizona Ambulance Transport; Sierra Vista and Tucson Fire Departments; Tucson and Douglas Police Departments; Frye, Mountain Vista and Golder Ranch Fire Districts; U.S. Border Patrol; and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Following the ceremony, Willcox Station Patrol Agent In Charge John W. Scanlon said, “Border Patrol agents often risk personal safety to save others from harm. Instances such as the one involving our Willcox agents saving the life of an accident victim are a testament to the selflessness Tucson Sector agents exhibit on a daily basis.”
