The Tri-County Journal
& Chattahoochee Chronicle
PO Box 850, 71 Webb Lane
Buena Vista, GA 31803
229-649-6397
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Governor Purdue (far right) with award recipients, from left: Deputy Clinton Rivers, Officer Dainel Simmons, Lumpkin Police Chief John Stripling III, EMT Vance Streeter, EMS Assistant Director Blake Buchan, and Stewart County EMS Director Gregory Stewart.
Act of Heroism Award
Buena Vista's man looks back at night that shook up his life
By RICHARD HARRIS (From the October 25, 2006 issue)
Area residents, including Buena Vista’s Vance Streeter, were among the honorees at the 2006 Governor’s Public Safety Awards held October 18 at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Atlanta. They had previously been honored at the Chiefs of Police Conference in Savannah.
The six area law enforcement and emergency workers who received the “Act of Heroism Award” from Governor Sonny Perdue were: Daniel Simmons, John D. Stripling III, Blake R. Buchan, Gregory Stewart, Vance Streeter, and Clinton Rivers. They represented the Lumpkin Police Department, Stewart County Sheriff’s Office, and Stewart County EMS.
“It is a privilege for me to pay tribute to these public safety professionals,” said Governor Perdue. “Each of them is individually reflective of Georgia’s most admirable virtues.”
They were honored for their respective roles in a traumatic shooting in downtown Lumpkin a little over a year ago.
The events were described at the program as follows: “Around 2 a.m. on August 18, 2005, Chief John Stripling of the Lumpkin Police Department
After Stripling, Rivers, and Streeter were shot, the suspect ran from the courthouse. More than 50 officers from 10 agencies arrived in Lumpkin to assist. Just before 5 a.m., the suspect was surrounded by officers. He moved away from the hostages and opened fire on the officers. The suspect, a convicted felon on parole, was shot and died at the scene.”
“All of the officers and emergency personnel involved in this incident acted with professionalism, under exceptional duress, and helped to protect innocent citizens.”
Vance Streeter vividly recalls feeling a massive amount of blood being pumped from his body and how the pavement felt like it was almost on fire in the moments before receiving help. He also remembers the chaos caused by the gunman.
“There was so much gunfire – I looked all around and had no idea where it was coming from,” he said.
Now, he’s thankful that he’s simply alive, as he fully understands how close he came to death.
“They put about 4,000 units of normal saline in me on the way to Columbus,” he said. “Once I got to the ER, I had that ash-grey look – the death look.”
EMT Vance Streeter (far right) with his wife Carol Sue and Governor Sonny Perdue
When he awoke from the long surgery that helped to save his life, his body was swollen, so much so that he couldn’t open his eyes.
He was in the hospital for four or five days, and the first month home the pain was still incredibly intense. He continued to feel a lot of pain for four or five months, and was cautious about how much pain medication he took, not wanting it to begin to take control of him.
He had physical therapy twice a week until this past August 31 (roughly a year). Now, he wears a leg brace to deal with what he describes in layman’s terms as “foot drop.” His leg suffered a lot of nerve damage, so it’s still uncertain exactly how much more he will improve.
“I’m keeping a positive attitude,” he said. “I’ll never be 100 percent, but I may get better.”
One thing that makes the situation more difficult is the fact that he hasn’t been able to return to work. His health still isn’t well enough for him to meet the requirements, which include heavy lifting. While he’d like to be able to return to work, he knows that if he attempts to do so too soon, he could put the lives of his patients and partners at risk.
So, he does as much as he can for as long as he atop a tractor. He chuckled when thinking back to the not-too-distant past when he was thrilled to simply be able to push down the clutch.
“Every month I’d get on the tractor and try to push the clutch in,” he said. “That was my goal.”
Now, he can’t let his leg and foot hang down for long stretches of time while on the tractor.
“I drive some and then just have to stop and get off and walk around,” he said.
As tough as the last year has been for him, Streeter said that in some ways his life is actually better now than before he was shot.
“Before I had God in my life, but I didn’t have God in my life,” he said, explaining that he feels he received a second chance to live life as the Lord intended him to. For that reason, he has shared his testimonial numerous times, using people’s interest in the details of the shooting as an avenue for reaching them with a message about faith.
“I had that second chance,” he said. “People shouldn’t wait. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, if you don’t know Him, you need to know Him. I’m 51 and it took me this long to wake up.”
Streeter said he’s pleased with being an active member of Tazewell Baptist Church and he invites everyone in the community as his guest.