WASHINGTON, D.C. — A lieutenant with the Avery County Sheriff's Office received on Tuesday one of the highest awards that a public safety officer can receive.
President Donald Trump presented Lt. William Buchanan with the Medal of Valor. It's reserved for officers who perform extraordinary acts that go above and beyond the call of duty.
Buchanan was chosen after he pulled a man from a burning car two years ago when he came upon a crash while off-duty in Johnson City, Tennessee.
"I actually don't think that I'm a hero. I done what any other man would have done, and thank God for being here," Buchanan said.
Buchanan said he was very honored and very humbled to be at the White House.
There was a brief moment when the medal almost fell off Buchanan. It appeared that the president thought he had secured the clasp, but the medal slipped off. Buchanan was able to recover it, and the medal was put on properly.
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