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Police Mentor Ronald Zimmerman, Killed in Afghanistan, Honored for
His Service in Afghanistan, Kosovo and the United States
PHOENIX, AZ (August 13, 2010) — Representatives from DynCorp International (DI), the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and from the law enforcement community, gathered on July 23, 2010, to honor Ronald Zimmerman, who was killed while serving as a police advisor in Afghanistan in 2006. Marlaina Zimmerman, his widow, and daughter Cheyenne accepted awards from DI and INL in recognition of his service.
Mr. Zimmerman was killed on May 18, 2006, when his convoy was hit by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED). He was an international police mentor-advisor in Afghanistan, and previously served as a police advisor in Kosovo. Prior to working for DI overseas, Mr. Zimmerman was with the Brookville Indiana Police Department from 1998 to 2004, rising to the rank of sergeant and holding the positions of patrol officer and field training officer.
Major General (USA Ret.) Don Ryder, DI Vice President and CIVPOL Program Manager, presented the family with DI’s President’s Valor Award. The DI President’s Valor Award is the highest recognition given by the Company to recognize individuals’ bravery and heroism in execution of their responsibilities in the most challenging of circumstances.
In presenting the award, Ryder noted that the ceremony coincided with a gathering in Washington, D.C. of more than 2,000 families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan for a weekend of remembrance activities. “What we are doing here today is the exact same thing that those families are doing in Washington, D.C. – we are all gathering to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," said Ryder.
Highlighting Mr. Zimmerman’s extraordinary dedication in serving as a police officer in the U.S. and then overseas, Walter Redman, Chief Police Advisor, Office of the CIVPOL Program, INL, said, "His call to service had no bounds. It extended from his neighborhood, to his city, to his state, and his country."
Melanie Brock, Foreign Affairs Officer and Afghan Police Program Manager, INL, said, “Ron’s work was a critical part of one of our highest foreign policy priorities in Afghanistan. His work set the stage for where we are today, building towards a time where we can have Afghans take control of the security of their country on their own."
Officer Steve Martin, a former police mentor who also worked in Afghanistan and Kosovo before he was injured in an attack in Afghanistan and now serves with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, organized the event and spoke about the call to service and the importance of Mr. Zimmerman’s contributions.
“I did not know Ron – he left Kosovo shortly after I arrived – but I followed in his footsteps working in both Kosovo and Afghanistan after he did,” said Martin. “The American police officer who leaves the relative safety of home and family to work in places like Bosnia, Kosovo, East Timor, Liberia, Haiti, Iraq and Afghanistan is an important piece of the puzzle in U.S. foreign policy. We do not have a national police force like many countries around the world but people like Ron Zimmerman continue to answer the call and volunteer whenever the need arises.”
Although Mr. Zimmerman was from Indiana, the ceremony took place in Phoenix, AZ, where his wife and children relocated after his death. Members of several local Phoenix law enforcement agencies and military personnel attended the ceremony to honor their fallen colleague.
More than 6,000 experienced civilian police advisors have been provided by DI in support of U.S. CIVPOL programs in 11 countries. The Company currently works on CIVPOL contracts with INL, providing mentors and trainers in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. INL manages the CIVPOL program, which focuses on meeting the demand for law enforcement, criminal justice, and corrections experts and assistance in post-conflict societies and complex security environments.
Representatives from DynCorp International (DI), U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and representatives from Phoenix area military and law enforcement agencies, presented posthumous awards to the wife and daughter of Ronald Zimmerman, who lost his life while serving as a police mentor in Afghanistan. Front row, left to right: Michael Warren, DI; Walter Redman, INL; Melanie Brock, INL; Cheyenne Zimmerman; Marlaina Zimmerman; Major General (USA Ret.) Don Ryder, DI; Father Joseph O'Donnell; Officer Stephen Martin, Arizona Dept of Public Safety.
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