Thankful to Mt. Pleasant police officers

I just wanted to write a letter to the community of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, to let them know that three of their police officers, Keith Dugger, Robert Szewczyk, and Steve Dykstra, came to our immediate aid on Friday, Nov. 26, on the way home from a Riverside trip.

We had such a great time, and about midnight, right before we came to Mt. Pleasant, we heard a noise and knew we had a tire going flat. We were on the main highway and it was dark so we drove it to Casey's new store with some good lighting and tried to change the tire.

The spare was a donut that needed air, and my boyfriend was trying to get the jack under the car but was having trouble as he had hand surgery a few days before — although we aren't spring chickens — but we were not having any luck. After much resistance, my boyfriend told me to call 911 and I finally did.

I explained to the very helpful operator that it was no emergency but we needed some phone numbers to call for assistance. She suggested that she would send over some police officers. Very quickly, two policemen arrived with a better jack, great flashlights and such a great attitude to get the car fixed and back on the road.

A third officer showed up and they said he was the tire guy. He checked all the tires and aired up the spare and then told us not to drive over 40 mph home to Fort Madison. I felt bad because it was cold outside and I was going to stand outside because they had to. He said stay in the car and get yourself warm and we will handle this.

We offered them some money so they could get a coffee and a sandwich on us but they said they couldn't accept. They said it was their pleasure. God sent us three guardian angels that night and we will never forget their kindness in our time of need. I know they seldom get the appreciation they deserve as everyday their lives are on the line and most people should be more thankful.

It is a difficult and thankless job but I just want you to know that your community is very lucky to have these dedicated men on their force. I hope I will never have anything like this happen again, but if it does, I hope we are in Mt. Pleasant. God bless our police and Merry Christmas.

Sincerely,

Diane Saar, Danny Lasswell and Lou Galloway