Amarillo postal worker named ‘National Hero of the Year’ after saving woman from dog attack

AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – After pausing his route to help a woman who was being attacked by a dog, and being attacked himself in the process, an Amarillo letter carrier was honored as “National Hero of the Year” during a Wednesday ceremony in Washington, D.C. by the National Association of Letter Carriers.

According to the NALC, Letter Carrier Philip Moon of Amarillo was driving his route in October 2022 when he saw a woman and her two small dogs being attacked by a large dog. Moon jumped out of his truck to help the woman, who was bleeding from dog bites on her leg, and pulled her into his truck.

“The whole bottom of the floorboard was filling up with blood,” Moon told the NALC in its May 2023 issue of The Postal Record regarding the incident. He called 911 and then took off his shirt to use to compress her wounds and help stop the bleeding.

“Then the dog came back and bit down on her other leg,” Moon continued. The dog forced its way into the partly closed door of the truck, with Moon and the woman fighting off the dog as best they could while Moon spoke with the 911 operator. After the woman’s husband came to help with the struggle, Moon said “the dog went after me,” biting his shoe and injuring his ankle.

The dog was captured by animal control officers after first responders arrived at the scene, according to the NALC, to assist the injured woman. After he drove back to the post office, Moon visited the woman in the hospital and was told she had passed out twice due to blood loss.

“You saved her twice,” police told Moon; once from the dog and again from the blood loss.

The NALC noted that despite the results, Moon didn’t consider his actions particularly heroic and noted that he was “scared to death,” and running on adrenaline.

“Knowing the people I work with, anybody would have done what I did,” Moon added, “I don’t consider myself a hero.”

However, his community members disagreed. Moon was nominated for his community service and courage as a Letter Carrier Hero of the Year with the NALC, which “highlights the special acts of courage and compassion performed by letter carriers who improve—or save— lives along their routes,” each year. A panel of independent judges each year gather to review stories published in The Postal Record to determine the winners, and in 2023 highlighted Moon as a ‘hero’ deserving of his new title.

“We are immensely proud of what the heroes being recognized did,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “They represent our country’s best in public service. They truly are our heroes.”

Moon was one of 13 “Heroes of the Year” who were honored at the Wednesday ceremony in Washington, D.C., according to the NALC. Others included:

• National Hero of the Year: Phillip Moon of Amarillo, Texas
• Humanitarian of the Year: Harry Bittner of Camden, NJ
• Vigilant Hero Award: Tommy Howe of Fall River, Mass. and Kyle Mailman of Wichita, Kan.
• The Partnership Award: Earnest Twomley, David Correa, Heriberto Rodriguez and Daniel Weber of NY
• Eastern Region Hero: Timothy “Tim” Martin of Buffalo-Western NY
• Central Region Hero: Dominic Jack of Baton Rouge, La.
• Western Region Hero: Randall “Randy” Fields of Boulder, Colo.
• Honorable Mention: Timmye Crowley of Billings, Mont. and Brittany Giles of West Palm Beach, Fla.

More information about the “Heroes of the Year” awards can be found on the NALC website.

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