Bartender honored for heroism

Levittown - Ray Szymkiewicz, who tends bar at the Knight House restaurant in Doylestown, was noticeably uneasy as he sat outside the ballroom Sunday night at Spring Mill Manor in Northampton.Entering the ballroom were volunteer firefighters and emergency response personnel in their uniforms to take their seats for the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce's 37th Burpee Emergency Services Awards dinner.Sunday night, Szymkiewicz would join them as one of those being honored. It was an honor that the ex-Marine was uncomfortable accepting."They're deserving of the honors," he said pointing to the men and women in the ballroom. "These guys never know when they are going to be asked to be heroes, but that's what they signed on to do."However, there are two women and two children who would disagree with Szymkiewicz's "I'm-not-a-hero" statement.On May 20, Szymkiewicz ran out of the Knight House door and down State Street to Clinton Street where a two-vehicle accident had just occurred.One of the vehicles - a GMC Envoy - had burst into flames. Szymkiewicz had waitresses get fire extinguishers from the restaurant and he and a passer-by worked to get the women and children out of the other vehicle - a Chevrolet Avalanche - before the fire spread. Szymkiewicz then put out the flames with the extinguishers before police and fire personnel arrived.For his quick action and courage, Szymkiewicz, 48, received the Special Burpee Recognition Award."It's humbling," the Doylestown resident said about receiving his award with the firefighters and rescue workers."Humbling," seems like an odd word coming from a man who spent 13 years in the Marine Corps. Szymkiewicz was in Iraq for Operation Desert Storm and was in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 23, 1983, when the Marine barracks was attacked by truck bombers, killing 241 American service personnel, including 220 Marines."I was on sniper duty that day," he said. "I'll never forget the scene."As he got ready to stand with the other 28 other Burpee award recipients, Szymkiewicz said he was proud to be part of such a "wonderful" event."This is such a great community, he said. "I'm really honored to be here."The other honorees were:Nicholas Lager, Central Bucks Ambulance and Rescue Unit; Robert C. Bender, Chalfont Emergency Medical Services; Mark Hilton, Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance and Rescue Squad; Stanley A. Morrison Jr., Point Pleasant-Plumsteadville EMS; Patrick G. Roberts, Warminster Volunteer Ambulance Corps; David He; Warrington Community Ambulance Corps.Michael J. Bintner, Chalfont Fire Co.; Lori S. Westover, Doylestown Fire Co.; Anthony M. Jones, Dublin Volunteer Fire Co.; Robert Schleyer, Hartsville Fire Co.; James Mohan, Hilltown Fire Co; Walter Boyce, Ivyland Fire Co.; Francis M. Gorski, Lingohocken Fire Co.; Frank S. Michitsch Jr., Midway Fire Co.Cory M. Beauregard, New Hope Eagle Fire Co.; Joseph Conway, Perkasie Fire Co.; Edwin A. Zeek, Plumsteadville Fire Co.; John R. Loring, Point Pleasant Fire Co.; Charles Thorpe, Sellersville Fire Co.; Kathy Card, Southampton Fire Co.; Allen Feldman, Warminster Fire Co.; Paul Martin, Warrington Fire Co.; and Brian Dawicki, Warwick Fire Co.Scott Dengler received the Lee A. Willard Scholarship.Bill Devlin can be reached at 215-345-3179 or wdevlin@phillyBurbs.com.

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