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Red Cross honors Chattanooga heroes

U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tim White, who fired at the shooter during the July 16 attack on the U. S. Naval and Marine Reserve Center, delivers the keynote speech at the CHI Memorial Heroes Luncheon at the Chattanoogan in Chattanooga in 2015.
U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tim White, who fired at the shooter during the July 16 attack on the U. S. Naval and Marine Reserve Center, delivers the keynote speech at the CHI Memorial Heroes Luncheon at the Chattanoogan in Chattanooga in 2015. U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tim White, who fired at the shooter during the July 16 attack on the U. S. Naval and Marine Reserve Center, delivers the keynote speech at the CHI Memorial Heroes Luncheon at the Chattanoogan in Chattanooga in 2015.

By Staff Report 3 min read

HONOREES

Conner Pearce, First Responder HeroMacy Howell, First Responder HeroJason Greer, Humanitarian HeroAmy Dickerson, Medical HeroJacob Gray, Youth HeroMason Chamberlain, Youth HeroNavy Lt. Cmdr. Tim White, on behalf of the U.S. Naval and Marine Reserve, Military AwardSource: American Red Cross of Southeast Tennessee

Officials with the American Red Cross of Southeast Tennessee honored six local people for heroic acts at the annual Heroes Luncheon on Wednesday.

Men and women were honored for helping a family escape a burning home, giving life-saving CPR, volunteering during local emergencies and raising money for medical research.

About 250 people, including firefighters, police officers and local officials, attended the event. Several people who were integral in the response to the July 16 shootings – when 24-year-old Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez attacked two military sites in Chattanooga – also attended.

Chattanooga police officer Dennis Pedigo, who was shot in the ankle during the attack, was in the audience.

Lt. Cmdr. Tim White, the U.S. Navy officer who opened fire on Abdulazeez as the man ran toward the reserve, praised the Red Cross during his keynote address.

“The Red Cross was there at the police station within hours of the shooting, serving food and water to the victims,” he said. “They were at the memorial sites throughout the aftermath. At every funeral they were giving water and looking out for the elderly vets who were there and caring for them.”

He said he and his team are still adjusting to the “new normal” that the attack created. Abdulazeez killed four U.S. Marines and fatally wounded a U.S. Navy specialist when he stormed the reserve armed with an assault rifle.

White, who used his personal weapon to fire at Abdulazeez, also was honored at the luncheon and said he is humbled to be called a hero.

“I was in a situation where I think a lot of people would have reacted in the same way,” he said.

The American Red Cross is a heroic organization that spreads love, White said.

“Your life is precious and your neighbor’s life is precious,” he said. “We want all our members of our armed services to be ready to use Red Cross skills to save lives. Thank you for supporting the Red Cross and helping the Red Cross to continue its mission.”

Staff writer Katie Ward contributed to this story.

photo U. S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tim White, who fired at the shooter during the July 16 attack on the U. S. Naval and Marine Reserve Center, receives applause after he delivered the keynote speech at the CHI Memorial Heroes Luncheon at the Chattanoogan on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.