Local Heroes Honored at Chamber Event

LOWER GWYNEDD - Larry Moyer served 26 years in the U.S. Army, including a tour of Vietnam where he was a helicopter pilot from 1971 to 1972.

On Thursday, Moyer, along with police, fire and EMT personnel, was honored at the Annual Local Heroes Recognition at the .

“This is a chance for the community to recognize those of us who served in the military, from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Moyer, who retired from the Army a lieutenant colonel in 1996, and now works as a branch manager for TD Bank in Harleysville.

“I’m here representing not just us old guys but the young one who are fighting now,” he said.

The chamber has been holding this event since about 1981, a 30-year tradition of recognizing first responders - police, fire, EMT - throughout Montgomery County. Local businesses and sponsors cover the cost of the banquet providing a free dinner and drinks for the honorees and their guests.

Tim Dickinson, chief of the Towamencin Police Department, said the banquet serves to “reinforce what it is we all do.”

“In the course of our daily lives, people rarely express their appreciation for first responders. We’re usually getting complaints because we’re dealing with people who are at their worst moment,” Dickinson continued. “You start to forget that the majority of our citizens appreciate the work we do. It’s great that the chamber does this every year.” 

Ed Cardell, who works at Moyer Indoor/Outdoor and sits on the chamber’s board of directors, said 120 people attended Thursday’s banquet, which included eight fire companies, 12 police departments, and the

“This is a great event,” said Cardell, a chamber member for the last six years. “It’s all about honoring the first responders without them having to lay out the expenses. Our sponsors come through for us every year.”

Sponsors included Merck and Company, , North Wales Water Authority, and Penn Color.

After dessert was served, Cardell went around the room with a microphone, giving each department representative a chance to speak.

Perhaps the most telling comments of the evening came from Lower Salford Police Chief Thomas Medwid, who spoke about how his department is struggling with a weak economy.

“Like a lot of people, we’re doing more with less,” Medwid said, adding that Towamencin is down to 17 police officers from 19 last year. “It’s at a point now where we are seriously considering tapping into our volunteer resources.”

Part of this “nationwide movement,” according to Medwid, involves police departments using citizen volunteers to handle certain office administration tasks, such as answering phones and filing paperwork.

“We’re looking into it. We’re suffering with the economy like everybody else,” he said.