NYPD cop surprised by Jets player announcing team will honor him as heroic Army vet
He’s a hero in more than one field.
A brave Queens cop who saved a soldier’s life while serving in the Army got a surprise phone call from Jets cornerback Michael Carter Thursday — announcing the team will honor him on the gridiron as this season’s official “Veteran of the Game.”
NYPD Det. Wing “Sammy” Har — who solves cases on the borough’s robbery squad — was suddenly called into a meeting at the 109 precinct in Flushing and told the NFL star wanted a word with him.
“Thank you for your service. I appreciate everything you’re doing for the community, man,” Carter told Har via speakerphone. “It’s a privilege to honor you.”
The 44-year-old cop, who received a Purple Heart for his fearless service in Iraq, was briefly overcome by emotion as he thanked the NFL player.
“Uh… I guess I’ll see you at the game?” he replied — prompting fellow police officers in the room to crack up and clap.
Har, who served in the New York Army National Guard’s 69th Infantry Regiment, was awarded a Purple Heart in 2005 for his selfless work during an ambush in which two soldiers were killed in Iraq.
He reportedly also narrowly survived a deadly Humvee patrol that claimed the lives of his fellow New York City soldiers Anthony Kalladeen and Hernando Rios in Baghdad in 2005.
In 2007, Har was deployed to Afghanistan where he earned a Bronze Star with Valor for saving a Marine during an attack that killed three soldiers.
He was on night patrol with fellow NYPD officer Deon Taylor, 30, near Bela Baluk, Afghanistan in October 2008, when their armored Humvee rolled over an improvised explosive device, killing Taylor.
The hero cop, who has been a member of the NYPD since January 2006, will now be celebrated at a Jets game when the regular season kicks off next month.
Har will be brought out onto the football field during a timeout and given a round of applause while a video package honoring him plays.
On Thursday, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Har is a winner on the force who deserves to be cheered.
“It’s a great thing the Jets are doing, they’ve had thousands of vets — it’s wonderful — and it’s great [Har] is also a Jet fan,” Kenny told The Post
“It’s important because it shows not only are they cops 24 hours a day, seven days a week — but before they came on the job they were serving their country,” he said.
“He’s definitely a team player, beloved by his squad and his team. I often say the best compliment you can give a detective is ‘I wouldn’t want that guy looking for me,’” he said of Har.
Veterans of the Game LLC is a non-profit that works with major and minor league teams to honor military vets at sports games across the country.
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