Crime & Safety

Congressional Badge of Bravery Goes to Montgomery County Police Officer

Montgomery County Police Officer Edward E. Paden Jr. received the Congressional Badge of Bravery Award for his heroic actions in the Discovery hostage situation in Silver Spring in September 2010.

 

Montgomery County Police Officer Edward E. Paden Jr. became the first person from Maryland to receive the Congressional Badge of Bravery Award, joining 20 other officers across the country.

Paden was honored at a ceremony this morning at the Public Safety Training Academy in Rockville for his courageous actions during the suicide bomber situation in Silver Spring in September 2010.

Paden was the first police officer inside of the the lobby. Although he was off duty, Officer Paden rushed to the scene and his quick thinking gained him access to the building.

The Congressional Badge of Bravery Award was created in 2008 in order to "honor exceptional acts of bravery in the line of duty by federal, state, and local law enforcement officers."

County and state officials praised Paden's selfless courage, emphasizing that he was not even on duty at the time. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Dist. 18) spoke at the ceremony, as did Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein and Montgomery County Councilmember Phil Andrews.

Chief J. Thomas Manger, of the Montgomery County Police Department, added a touch of levity to the ceremony as he related the story of how Paden had been training for a triathlon earlier that day. He had gone swimming in the Chesapeake Bay--and had gotten stung by a lot of jellyfish, Manger said.

When Paden got back to the police station, he was just leaving again when the call came out for the Discovery situation. Paden changed out of his swimming clothes--but not his “goofy” rubber toe shoes--and all the while, he was suffering from those jellyfish stings.

“We can laugh about it now, but I can tell you now...that it was not a laughing matter at the time,” Manger said.

This was the first time in the United States that a suicide bomber had taken hostages, Manger said.

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Editor's Note: A previous version of this article mistakenly said that Paden joined 20 other officers in the county in receiving this award. It has been corrected to "country." We apologize for the error.


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