Lincoln Police sergeant who rescued two people from water to be State of the Union guest

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – After two water rescues and an award of excellence from the mayor, LPD Sgt. Tu Tran is headed to Washington, D.C.

Tran and his wife were invited to Thursday’s State of the Union address by Nebraska Sens. Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer.

Tran said when he got the call from Ricketts’ office, he was caught by surprise.

“I called my captain, Capt. (Mike) Woolman, right away and notified him that this was going on,” he said. “I told him, ‘It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.’ And he’s like, ‘It’s a once in a 10-lifetime opportunity.'”

Tran said he’s happy for the community’s support and grateful for the privilege to travel to D.C.

Despite his achievements, Tran said he never thought he’d get to be part of a national event like this.

“I just did what I thought was right,” he said. “I did what I can to help other people, and that’s what we do on a daily basis. We don’t go out there seeking things like this, but sometimes it just happens, and we’re grateful for it.”

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Ricketts said Tran is a great example of what law enforcement does to keep everyone safe.

“Nebraska is what America is supposed to be because of people like Sgt. Tran,” he said. “They’re the people that just are great to the core. So I’m grateful for his heroism and his service to Nebraskans. I hope his attendance reminds President Biden and my colleagues of the lifesaving work our law enforcement officials do every day.”

Tran came to the U.S. seeking asylum from Vietnam and got to Lincoln in 1992.

“No matter who you are or where you’re from, you can do whatever you want as long as you work hard,” Tran said. “I really do believe that. I was kind of thrust into the spotlight because of the incident, but it could’ve happened to anybody.”