Sergeant Simmons Welcomed Home

By Mia Freneaux
Hospital photo courtesy of Jody LeBlanc
    23 year veteran East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Sergeant Bruce Simmons received a hero's homecoming last Thursday after being released from Baton Rouge General Hospital.  Sgt. Simmons underwent 2 surgeries there on his shoulder and elbow after being wounded while responding to gunfire on that terrible Sunday, July 17.  2 fellow law enforcement officers were wounded, and 3 others tragically lost their lives. 
    On July 21, nurses, doctors, and fellow deputies lined the hospital halls, clapping, cheering, and wiping away tears as he was wheeled to his waiting car.  Sgt. Simmons was then escorted to his home here in Central by a line of sheriff's cruisers.  Upon arriving home, Sgt. Simmons found yet more law enforcement vehicles, engines from the Central Fire Department, and most of his neighbors lining the street and waving American flags. 
    Despite all of the attention and praise, Sgt. Simmons maintains he is no hero and was merely doing what he was trained to do.  Last Saturday, though just out of the hospital, he insisted on attending the funeral of fellow Sheriff's Deputy Brad Garafola, killed in the same ambush.  Photos show him in full dress uniform, his arm still in a cast and sling. Doctors are optimistic that he will recover movement and feeling in his arm, but it is still very early in the healing process. 
    Wife Pam, daughters Ally Payne and Alayna Simmons, and step daughters Lauren Denicola and Taylor Young are understandably grateful to have him home with them again.  And so is all of Central in the aftermath of July 17, when grief and terror came to our own backyard.  The tremendous danger law enforcement officers face every day, the fear their families must endure, the courage needed to pin on the badge were all driven home, and may we never forget that.   Pam shared, "As a law enforcement officer's wife, you realize that his life is always on the line, but you are always in prayer for his safety.  Then you get that call…." 
    She added, "I would like to thank God, our family, the law enforcement brotherhood community and so many others for the tremendous love and support they've shown us."
    Daughter Ally had this to say about her dad, "He raised me to do what's right.  He was my hero, and I was a daddy's girl.  I wanted to grow up to be just like him, and now people get to see what an amazing person he is.  He did his job perfectly and there are no amount of words to express how we all feel at this moment.  We are all so proud of him.  He is, and will always be, our hero."
    Sgt. Simmons requests that all be in prayer for his friend Deputy Nicholas Tullier, who is still in critical condition on life support due to injuries received that same day.  His thoughts and prayers are continuously going out to his Brother in Blue.