A Kansas letter carrier has been honored for heroic actions.

Topeka letter carrier Gerald “Jerry” Loney is being honored as the Western Region Hero by the National Association of Letter Carriers.

According to the organization,  on March 29, 2024, Loney had just finished delivering mail to apartments on his route and returned to his mail truck when a young man approached him. The man was bloody and had just attempted suicide. Loney recognized him as a 33-year-old customer on his route.

Loney immediately began to care for the young man and dialed 911 at the same time. The 911 operator talked Loney through the process of finding something to use as a tourniquet, and how to apply it to both wrists. Loney kept talking to and praying over the man until police, paramedics, and firefighters arrived.

The police officer who took a statement from Loney later told him they were grateful for his actions, noting that most people would have just driven by.

Loney, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder due to a personal incident five years ago, pushed through his own trauma to save the young man’s life. In part because of Loney’s quick and selfless actions, the man survived.