Lee's Summit teen earns Silver Valor Award after saving mans life
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — An act of heroism earns a Lee's Summit teen a Silver Valor Award. She's a cadet with the JROTC program at Lee's Summit High School.
We're told his young hero's natural skill and training gave her the confidence to help save a life.
A student who is part of the JROTC program at Lee's Summit High School put that training into action. First responders told her she may have saved a man's life.
Kansas City man convicted in 2021, 2022 murder-for-hire plot
'He came back a couple days later and said, 'You're my angel,'' Lt. Col. Brian Zoellner said.
He is a proud teacher. Last week, Zoellner presented Daiya Brock with a Silver Valor Award.It's a prestigious honor in JROTC for an act of heroism.
'This is pretty much everything that I have worked my years up to,' Brock said.
Joining as a freshman, Brock is now a Cadet Lt. Col. in the program. In February, the teen used that training when a man walked into her place of work, trailing blood.
Brock's co-worker at Habaneros spotted the blood first.
'She seen it and she said, 'Hey, you're bleeding.' She didn't know what to do, and my first instinct was, 'Hey, I'm going to need you to sit down, like, take pressure off of it,'' Brock said.
Brock did not hesitate; she called for towels and told someone to phone 911. She applied a tourniquet and pressure on the man's leg to stop the bleeding.
'As soon as I lifted up those tights, it like all came down. So, I put my hand over it and I was like, 'Hey, I need a towel. And people to get away,'' Brock said.
'I had to kneel in his blood for like 20 minutes straight.'
The district said paramedics later told Brock her quick response may have saved the man's life.
'They said he hit an artery right there on the shin and that could've been a horrible night if I wasn't there to help him,' Brock said.
After Prop A rollback, Missouri Jobs With Justice launches ballot fight
Zoellner said Brock's focus in chaotic situations stands out, noting it's a positive character trait when lives are on the line.
'A problem arises, everyone else is kind of frozen and she just jumps into action and goes, I've got a solution, let's roll with it,' Zoellner said.
Brock plans to go into the military after graduation next year. She wants to be a K-9 Officer.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
ROTC instructor sues SJSD over firing
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — A former ROTC instructor who was fired in 2024 has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the St. Joseph School District. Master Sergeant Jamaal Anderson served as an instructor for Benton High School's JROTC program. Anderson alleges he was placed on leave on April 29, 2024, was given a letter of suspension and told to not to go on school property. His contract was not renewed for the 24-25 school year. According to Anderson's lawsuit, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent surgery in March of 2022. The lawsuit contends that Anderson informed the district that there would be times when he would need to leave class to use the restroom or miss work abruptly. The lawsuit states that Anderson was told that SJSD would not accommodate such breaks. Jamaal Anderson lawsuitDownload Anderson also alleges he was not permitted to take time off to attend doctor's appointments. The lawsuit also said Anderson's absences led to poor classroom and extracurricular event ratings by his district supervisors, which eventually led to his suspension. News-Press NOW did contact SJSD Superintendent Gabe Edgar, who stated, We are aware of this. However, because it's a personnel matter, we will not comment." The day after his suspension was announced, students and cadets spoke out against the move. "This makes all of us mad because he always stands up for what he believes is right and treats everyone with respect,' one student said. Anderson's lawsuit also referenced an incident at Lafayette that occurred in May 2023. Students allegedly "wrapped Anderson's car in paper and wrote racial slurs and drew offensive pictures on the paper. Anderson contends the school district should have filed charges against the students but failed to do so. Although no dollar amount was specified in the suit, Anderson does ask for actual and punitive damages.
CBS News
7 days ago
- CBS News
Attorneys scramble to help migrants detained outside Denver immigration court
Fears and nerves shook up some families at Denver immigration court on Thursday, after immigration advocates learned one family was detained by immigration agents after the family attended their scheduled immigration hearing. "It was a family of three with a small child clutching to his father's neck," said Emily Brock, Deputy Managing Attorney with Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network's Children's program. CBS Brock arrived at immigration court as the family of three was being taken into ICE custody, but she said they could not do anything to stop the process. Instead, her organization scrambled to get immigration attorneys to show up and help prevent others from being detained. "This is a new trend that is happening nationwide, and now we've seen it in Denver," said Brock. Brock said arresting people at courthouses is a new ICE tactic to detain and expedite the removal process for more migrants, amid the Trump Administration's latest quota to arrest over 3,000 migrants a day. "Generally, the advice is if you are set for a hearing in immigration court, you need to appear for that hearing because otherwise, if you don't show up, you can be ordered removed for not showing up," said Brock. "So, just by clearly not showing up, you can get a removal order, and that makes you at a greater risk for enforcement action." CBS Typically, when a migrant appears before the court in a removal hearing, they may get the chance to have their case dismissed by a judge. This is generally a positive thing. However, having a case dismissed may now be used against the individual. "This is where I think the surprise comes in and why we scrambled. Now, a dismissal means that they can be arrested as they leave the court and be placed in these expedited removal proceedings," said Brock. "Some people don't understand, they haven't been able to talk to an attorney about what this means," said Immigration Attorney Cristina Uribe Reyes. It is why immigration lawyers like Reyes stepped up to help educate families who went into court. Some advocates even handed out fliers, urging families entering into court to know their rights beforehand. "A lot of these cases are at the last stage where they're just waiting for their final hearing to present the case," said Reyes. "Now, we're having to start all over again from step zero when they get detained." A spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security issued this statement in response to these increased detainment measures by ICE: "Secretary Noem is reversing Biden's catch and release policy that allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens to be let loose on American streets. This Administration is once again implementing the rule of law. Most aliens who illegally entered the United States within the past two years are subject to expedited removals. Biden ignored this legal fact and chose to release millions of illegal aliens, including violent criminals, into the country with a notice to appear before an immigration judge. ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been. If they have a valid credible fear claim, they will continue in immigration proceedings, but if no valid claim is found, aliens will be subject to a swift deportation." An ICE spokesperson also issued their own statement: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is executing its mission of identifying and removing criminal aliens and others who have violated our nation's immigration laws. All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States, regardless of nationality. For operational security and for the safety of our law enforcement personnel, ICE does not confirm, deny, or otherwise discuss ongoing or future operations. The agency publicly announces operational results when appropriate." While it is unclear if ICE agents will come back and detain more families exiting court in the days to come, Brock said the challenge is having enough manpower to be available to help families after losing federal funding to support some of their programs. "When the contracts for the legal orientation programs were canceled, we had to cut back on staff, we had to reallocate staff members to other programs, and so we aren't necessarily able to be here 24/7 or have the presence that we used to be able to have," she said. She said families can and should ask for more time in their cases if the judge moves to dismiss, or oppose dismissal, and have the chance for their cases to be heard without the fear of being taken into custody. The biggest message to families, however, is that they still should show up to their scheduled court hearing. "This is an attack on due process, and all it's going to do is ferment fear in the community," said Brock.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Yahoo
Volunteers, police make big difference at Spring Fest
May 29—MOSES LAKE — This year's Moses Lake Spring Fest came off better than usual, in large part because of lots of community involvement, organizers said. "We welcome everyone in our community to come and volunteer," Spring Fest Board Member Lori Valdez said. "But this year, we had a lot of people step up and volunteer that we've never had before, and that was very nice." Nearly 200 people came out to help with the various activities at the festival, according to Board President Sean Sallis. The Fun Run alone had 60 volunteers, he said. There were 30 volunteers helping with the beer garden, 45 for the 3-on-3 basketball tournament and 11 for the parade. "One little boy was helping us put tape on the basketball court," Sallis said. "He was like 4 years old, and he wanted to help lay tape. It's just a picture of our community." The 20 Moses Lake High School JROTC students were especially helpful, Valdez said. They helped set up before the festival and stuck around for teardown and cleanup, which is usually an ordeal in itself, she said. "By the time we get to Monday, to tear down, we are completely exhausted, 100% medically and physically," she said. "When you get out of bed, you can't even walk ... They helped clean the tables, they picked up garbage, they came back (Monday), until we were 100% all cleaned up at the park. They stayed until like five o'clock and helped us tear down." The JROTC students also carried the giant flag in the parade, Valdez said. Not all the assistance the festival organizers received was measurable in hours. Pro Rentals donated 18 big lights to illuminate the park and the carnival, Sallis said. "We had those all throughout the park and the carnival, (in) any spots that were dark," he said. "Every night, we were inspecting different spots that could have better lighting, and so we were working in concert with the police department and the sheriff's (office) to ... support them." The Moses Lake Police Department increased its presence at the festival as well, according to Capt. Jeff Sursely, contracting with the Grant County Sheriff's Office to provide some deputies as well. "We plussed up our manpower," Sursely said. "We averaged, between us and the Grant County Sheriff's Office, between 26 and 30 officers a day, (which included) two jail staff and a jail transport vehicle." In past years, the MLPD has only had six to eight officers a day at the festival, he added. Officers made 12 arrests. "Mostly juvenile issues, trespassing, nothing big," he said. "Mostly misdemeanor crime." The MLPD announced a zero-tolerance policy on crime during the festival, Sursely said, and the Grant County Commissioners authorized law enforcement to book juvenile offenders, which hadn't been allowed before. The additional lighting was a major factor as well, he said. The Spring Fest is Moses Lake's biggest community celebration of the year, and it takes a lot of coordination between departments and organizations. Because most of the event takes place at McCosh Park, the Parks & Recreation and Cultural Services Department bears much of the brunt of the work involved, Director Doug Coutts said, but the rest of the municipal government has a part to play as well. "Our fire department is here with paramedic services, roaming around and doing checks on people with heat-related issues," he said. "Our streets department has to close the street for the parade, move the street closures around as the event progresses. So, it is a full-on city team effort." Having so much volunteer help says a lot about Moses Lake, Valdez said. "We had people showing up at the park saying, 'What can I do to help?' she said. "It just tells you what type of community we live in, that 100% we have an amazing community."
