The Associated Press

BATON ROUGE - Two Louisiana state police employees were awarded the Medal of Valor, the department's highest honor, and 14 civilians earned the Exceptional Bravery Award during the state police annual awards ceremony.

Trooper John Wyles was one of the Medal of Valor recipients. In May, he rescued a pregnant woman from a burning car on Interstate 20 near Monroe, minutes before it exploded.

State police say the woman's car was trapped under an 18-wheeler and ablaze after being dragged 1,200 feet. Wyles was trying to break through the woman's passenger side window when a passer-by, Mark McKee, a lawyer from Columbia, stopped.

"I remember when I climbed over the interstate that it might have been a bad idea," McKee said. "The heat was so intense. But I could see the lady wasn't dead, and there was a shot of getting her out."

McKee received the Exceptional Bravery Award for his part in the rescue.

At Wednesday's hourlong ceremony, one incident clearly was the most riveting for the crowd of about 250 officers and civilians.

In a driving rain on the afternoon of Feb. 15, Trooper Bryce Leblanc, who was off duty, lost control of his truck while heading east on Interstate 12 in Baton Rouge. He doesn't remember why or much else about the accident.

Leblanc, 22, who had joined state police Troop A in Baton Rouge three months earlier, was left unconscious. Thibodaux police officer Patrick Oliver soon passed by on his way home from a marriage retreat.

While other cars sped by, Oliver sprinted across the highway, found Leblanc's police radio and called for help. He held Leblanc's hand and promised he would survive, though he couldn't be sure Leblanc heard him.

Oliver was awarded state police's Lifesaving Award, with Leblanc at his side. Leblanc, who is paralyzed on his left side from the accident, rose from his wheelchair and climbed four steps to the stage with the help of four troopers, whose shoulders he clung to and who helped manipulate his legs.

After reading his prepared remarks, the head of state police, Col. Terry Landry, said to Leblanc, "We love you and you are an inspiration to me personally and all the workers of the state police family. We know one day you will return and wear the uniform proudly."

After the ceremony, Leblanc said that his goal is to return to state police and that he took to the stage to make a point.

"I want them to know I will be back. I want to walk through the doors of Troop A again. "(Oliver) stopped and did something for me, and that's what I want to do for someone else."

Several troopers thanked him at the end of the ceremony.

"If they think of me when they're down and it helps them get through it, then that's good," he said.

Trooper Vic Schilleci IV of Troop B in New Orleans was named Trooper of the Year after scoring several notable seizures during routine traffic stops during the past year. He netted $725,000 in illegal currency, $100,000 in property and 100 pounds of marijuana.

"I'm beyond excited," said Schilleci, 31, who has been a trooper for six years. "The plaque is going right in the family room where everyone can see it."

In addition to Wyles, the other Medal of Valor award went to Command Pilot Tim Carbary, who crash-landed a state police helicopter in May while en route to picking up Gov. Mike Foster. Carbary was honored for landing the helicopter without injury to him or anyone else, including the governor, who witnessed the event.

Other winners include Sgt. Waylon Bubsy, plainclothes detective of the year; Shelley Scott, communications officer of the year; Trooper Sean McCaffery of Troop B, recovering the most stolen vehicles; Officer Steve Miller, Department of Public Safety Officer of the Year; and Trooper Robert Owens, also of Troop B, making the most DWI arrests - 83.