news-record.com

Dan Marshall wouldn't have been standing in the Colfax Post Office on Monday morning if it weren't for postman Charles "Tony" Hood of Kernersville.

A few months ago, Hood found Marshall in a ditch near his home and took him for help.

"I appreciate what he did," Marshall said. Marshall said he is retired from the postal service himself. He and a dozen other people gathered in the post office to honor Hood and present him with a plaque.

On Sept. 11, Hood handed Marshall his mail and continued on his mail route. But on his return delivery down the other side of the road, Hood noticed Marshall in a ditch outside his home. Hood jumped out, placed Marshall in his vehicle and drove him to the nearest fire station, 1.5 miles away.

"I'm grateful (Hood) brought (Marshall) to us," Assistant Fire Chief Roger Frazier said. "There's no telling what would have happened if he hadn't." Frazier was at the station when Hood brought Marshall .

Frazier called Colfax Postmaster Andy Parker later that day and explained that Marshall had suffered a stroke . Hood's actions in getting Marshall medical attention so quickly may have saved Marshall's life.

"I was just out doing my job," said Hood, noting he would do it for anyone. "I'm glad I was there at the right place, at the right time."

"We expect our carriers to do their jobs well, and they usually take pride in doing so," said Parker in a release. "What Tony did goes beyond what they should do, yet we still expect them to do it anyway. I'm thrilled Mr. Hood was able to be there for his customer, and he is truly a credit to the U.S. Postal Service."

Cheryl Picard , postal service manager of operations and programs in the Greensboro district office, echoed those statements. "Tony is not only a good carrier but a true testament to his neighborhood and his community," she said at the ceremony.

Members of Marshall's family attended the ceremony as well.

The family didn't know of Marshall's fall until the fire department called them, said Mary Marshall , Dan Marshall's sister-in-law. The family lives on the same street and usually keeps an eye on each other, but Mary and Barney , Dan's older brother, were away from home at the time.

"We need more people like that," Mary Marshall said of Hood.

Contact E.A. Seagraves at 883-4422, Ext. 241, or elizabeth.seagraves@news-record.com