Corporal Todd Garzon, this year's "Citizen of the Year," was born on October 15, 1977 in Monticello, New York where he attended Liberty High School. With no direction in his life, he joined the U.S. Army shortly after graduating in 1995. Upon completing basic training, he applied for the Army Rangers, was accepted, and finished Ranger school in 1996, whereupon he began training for Special Forces.
     Soon after Noriega was ousted from office, the 5th Special Forces unit was airlifted over the jungles of Panama, parachuting into the area under the cover of darkness during "Operation Laser Strike." Much of this operation has been classified, though it is known the unit was sent to aid the DEA in defeating the drug cartel then assisted by high-ranking Panamanian officials along with the Panama military.
     Shot in the left lung, he was transported to Kelley Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, then to Brook Medical Center where he says he had an out-of-body experience. During surgery to repair his wounded lung, he recalls getting up and standing to watch as doctors operated on him. He was told later that he'd coded during the operation and they'd almost lost him.
     After spending six months recuperating at Brook Medical Center, he went to Germany as a General's personal driver, then to Fort Sill as a drill instructor. While in the military, he was able to earn a B.A. degree in criminal investigation from Boston University. In 2001, he took medical retirement, moving with his wife, Terri, and children, Tara, Madison, and Jon, to Waldron, Arkansas, to be near his wife's family.
     He joined the Mansfield Police Department in July of 2003 as a reserve officer, working up to forty hours a week without pay. In September of 2005, stating that he loved the town and its people, Garzon moved to Mansfield. After volunteering to attend D.A.R.E. school in 2005, he was named Mansfield's School Resource Officer. Dedicated to helping children avoid drugs, gangs, and violence, he spends a large amount of time at the schools teaching and counseling students who know him simply as "Officer Todd." He is also a volunteer for the Mansfield Fire Department, a member of the Lions Club, has been a Master Mason since October of 2002, and coaches T-ball during the summer.