{"id":11064,"date":"2017-04-08T09:01:17","date_gmt":"2017-04-08T13:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=11064"},"modified":"2017-04-08T09:01:20","modified_gmt":"2017-04-08T13:01:20","slug":"sheriffs-deputy-overcomes-iraq-wounds-to-serve-public-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=11064","title":{"rendered":"Sheriff’s Deputy overcomes Iraq wounds to serve public again"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Mike Sarro of the Chester County Sheriff’s Department.<\/p><\/div>\n

A former Marine brought an exemplary background with him when he applied for a position as a Chester County deputy sheriff in 2014.<\/p>\n

Both the credentials and demeanor of Mike Sarro, 37, an award-winning, 2013 graduate of the Delaware County Police Academy, prompted praise that was followed by a dramatic, short-lived pause.<\/p>\n

Capt. Jason Suydam recalled being impressed with Sarro\u2019s responses during one of the interviews. From his vantage point in the room, Suydam then happened to notice that Sarro had a prosthetic leg. Initially taken aback, he felt strongly that Sarro could do the job; however, he felt obligated to share that information with Chester County Sheriff Carolyn \u201cBunny\u201d Welsh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember being momentarily surprised when Jason asked me if knew that one of our recruits had lost a leg,\u201d Welsh said recently. \u201cI immediately asked whether he could pass the physical requirements. When I was told that he could, that was really all I needed to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting the job represented a milestone for Sarro after a nearly decade-long struggle, a journey that dated back to a fateful day in Iraq.<\/p>\n

Sarro, who grew up in Phoenixville, said a brief stint at Northampton Community College convinced him that he wasn\u2019t well-suited for college life. Inspired by both of his grandfathers\u2019 military service, he joined the Marines at age 18 and spent most of the next five years at Twentynine Palms, a military base in California.<\/p>\n

When that duty ended, Sarro felt a push to use his training in actual combat and joined a Phoenixville Army National Guard unit that was about to be deployed. He had already met the woman of his dreams, and he and Kelly Swift decided to marry before he left. He joked that the quickly-arranged ceremony in Pottstown district court constituted a bargain with its $76 price tag.<\/p>\n

Sarro described the routine in Iraq during 2005 as \u201cfeast or famine.\u201d He said some days were difficult, punctuated by the chilling sounds of Iraqi insurgents\u2019 firing mortars at the base. \u201cThere was always an eerie feeling when everything got quiet,\u201d Sarro said. \u201cThat\u2019s when you knew something bad was about to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

On May 14, 2005, Sarro was riding as vehicle commander in the front of the third Humvee of a four-vehicle caravan when darkness engulfed him. \u201cEverything turned black,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t hear anything; black smoke was everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

A land mine, strategically buried under the roadway, had exploded, blasting through the front of the vehicle. Then gunfire erupted, and the men quickly realized they were in a \u201ckill zone.\u201d As they fought to take cover, a bullet from an insurgent\u2019s AK-47 ripped through Sarro\u2019s lower right leg. About 25 minutes later, as the exchange of gunfire continued, Sarro said he felt searing pain in his leg that didn\u2019t subside.<\/p>\n

Sarro credited Dave Smith, a member of his unit who now works as a physician\u2019s assistant, with saving his life by fashioning a tourniquet around the wound. The men were rescued another 20 minutes later, and with his family\u2019s support, Sarro began a painful, three-year regimen of surgeries and rehabilitation designed to avoid amputation.<\/p>\n

His wife, who had been teaching kindergarten in Kennett Square, moved to Texas for the summer, where Sarro was hospitalized after returning from Iraq. \u201cShe was amazing,\u201d Sarro said. \u201cShe was in the room so often that one morning someone tried to draw her blood because they thought she was a patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarro\u2019s experiences fueled a passion for emergency medicine, and when he finally returned home, he went to EMT school in 2007. \u201cI didn\u2019t want anyone to ever feel helpless,\u201d he said. In 2009, he became a paramedic, continuing a grueling recovery process that he hoped would lead to his ultimate goal: graduating from the police academy.<\/p>\n

But after five years of effort, Sarro got a wrenching reality check when he failed the academy\u2019s physical agility test. Realizing that his impaired appendage represented an obstacle he couldn\u2019t overcome prompted his resolve to pursue another option: amputation.<\/p>\n

A fan of medical TV comedies like \u201cM*A*S*H\u201d and \u201cHouse,\u201d Sarro exercised his sense of humor the night before his scheduled surgery. He used a black marker to write \u201cdo not cut\u201d on his left leg.<\/p>\n

He returned home from the hospital right before Christmas in 2010 and began another rigorous rehabilitation, this time with a heightened sense of purpose. He remembered the first day he put on the prosthetic. \u201cIt was painful; basically you\u2019re putting your leg in a vise,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sarro said his dream of graduating from the Police Academy kept him going, and he achieved it with honors in July 2013. He said he knew in advance that he would get no special treatment, which was precisely what he wanted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey held me to the same standards,\u201d he said, \u201cand that\u2019s the way it should be. Otherwise, it isn\u2019t fair to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

After receiving his police certification, Sarro, who had been working as a medic in Delaware County, got a part-time job as a police officer in Yeadon. The following year, he learned that the Chester County Sheriff\u2019s Office had openings for full-time deputies. He decided to email the sheriff herself and was pleased when he got a quick response, urging him to apply, which he did.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has been a huge part of why I love working here,\u201d he said. \u201cThe support is just fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, Sarro joined the Chester County Sheriff\u2019s K-9 Unit. He welcomed Dexter, a Belgian Malinois, into his family, which now also includes three children \u2013 Michael, Tyler, 5, and Anna, 3. \u201cHe might be the hardest one to manage,\u201d Sarro said of his high-energy K-9 partner.<\/p>\n

Dexter, whose specialty is sniffing out narcotics, has also attained tracking certification and is currently being trained in patrol work. Sarro said his children have fun with Dexter at home, and he\u2019s also a big hit at school and community events. \u201cIt\u2019ll change your world,\u201d he said of the 24\/7 responsibility.<\/p>\n

And for anyone interested in changing theirs, Sarro espouses the value of a positive outlook and perseverance. \u201cIt all starts with one step, one day \u2013 only one step,\u201d he said. \u201cYou will<\/em> reach the goal. Don\u2019t let anyone say \u2018not today.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Last month, a U.S. Marine veteran who lost his legs during a tour of duty in Afghanistan made national news when he was sworn in as an officer with the Suffolk County Police Department in New York. Matias Ferreira is believed to be the first\u00a0double amputee to assume full-time police duties in the country. Sarro insisted his accomplishments pale in comparison.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat has to be so much more difficult,\u201d said Sarro. \u201cI would love the opportunity to talk to him about it. What he\u2019s done is so impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A former Marine brought an exemplary background with him when he applied for a position as a Chester County deputy sheriff in 2014. Both the credentials and demeanor of Mike Sarro, 37, an award-winning, 2013 graduate of the Delaware County Police Academy, prompted praise that was followed by a dramatic, short-lived pause.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[110,5522,1637],"class_list":["post-11064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-chester-county","tag-mike-sarro","tag-sheriffs-office"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11064"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11065,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11064\/revisions\/11065"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}