Pike County American Legion Post 197 recently honored local heroes at the 2025 First Responders of the Year Awards Ceremony – and later at the Zebulon Fire Station as one honoree was unable to attend.
Captain Richard Moen of the Pike County Sheriff’s Office earned the Pike County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year honor. Lieutenant Hugh McAleer of the Pike County Fire Department earned the Pike County Firefighter of the Year honor. Rachel Landrum of AmeriPro EMS and WellStar Spalding Medical Center earned the Pike County Emergency Medical Technician of the Year honor.
FireFighter of the Year: Hugh R. McAleer
Hugh Richard McAleer was raised in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. In 1971, he graduated from St. Pius X High School in Pottstown and in 1975, he graduated from Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmetsburg, Maryland with a degree in Sociology.
Hugh went to work in the Amtrak Police Department in 1976. During his tenure at Amtrak, Hugh graduated in 1977 from the Pennsylvania State Police Academy located in Hersey, Pennsylvania. Hugh held a Railroad Police Commission in Pennsylvania, and was sworn in as a State Marshal in Delaware, and as a Deputy Sheriff in Maryland, all of which gave him full law enforcement and investigation authority in those states.
In 1981, he competed in a Philadelphia/Baltimore Amtrak firearms competition and scored second place as an Expert Marksman.
Hugh met Kathy West on May 15, 1981, an Atlanta native and employee of Delta Airlines, on a blind date at a horse race track in Baltimore, Maryland which was arranged by his sister and Kathy’s sister. Kathy turned out to be the love of his life. They married Dec. 5, 1981 at his childhood home in Valley Forge.They moved to Georgia and in 1982 welcomed their first son, Howard Richard, and their second son, Patrick Thomas in 1983.
In January of 2000, they moved to Zebulon where Hugh began driving a bus for the Council on Aging in Pike County, transporting the elderly and disabled residents to doctor appointments and various locations. Hugh joined the Pike County Volunteer Fire Department in September 2015 as a recruit assigned to Station 8 on Gresham Road. As a Support Firefighter Hugh can be assigned to drive fire vehicles and conduct firefighting duties outside the structure on fire. Hugh has received the Pike County Fire Department’s Volunteer Support Firefighter of the Year Award and the First Responder of the Year Award. On Dec. 2, 2017, Hugh and others received the Trauma Life Saving Award for the extrication of a driver whose vehicle had crashed into a large tree on I.B. Howard Road.
On Oct. 4 2021, Hugh was promoted to Lieutenant at Station 8. He has been assigned Fire Department administrative tasks, which include reviewing all Fire Department incident reports completed by the Department members, as well as Human Resource reports requested by Chief Wilkerson. Hugh spends approximately 20 hours a month completing the administrative duties that he has been assigned. He also has developed training presentations on completing reports for new hires. Hugh responds to any call in the county that the department responds to when extra help is needed. So far this year, Lieutenant McAleer has responded to 106 calls.
Hugh and Kathy currently attend the Shiloh Baptist Church in Thomaston, and enjoy spending time with their grandson, Hugh Jonathan in Warm Springs, and taking trips to Valley Forge to spend time with his sisters. Hugh’s hobbies include Geocaching and working on his 1968 Triumph sports car.
“Hugh is very dedicated to our community and gives countless hours of service for our mission. He answers dozens of calls per year serving the citizens of Pike County. Hugh has the love and respect from everyone in the department,” said fire chief Bobby Wilkerson stated. “He is the guy that if you ever need anything, he will be there if possible. It’s a privilege to work with Hugh serving our great county, and a greater honor to be able to call him a friend.”
Law Enforcement Officer of the Year: Capt. Richard A. Moen
Richard Moen was raised in the Fairburn area and graduated from Campbell High School in 1987. He attended Clayton College and State University for a year and then worked for the Atlanta Motor Parts company in East Point. In May 1993, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. At 24, Richard was sent to Paris Island, South Carolina for boot camp followed by Camp Gieger for advance training where he qualified expert on the M16A2 rifle. Upon graduation on April 29, 1994, he graduated at the rank of Private First Class and was sent to the U.S. Marine Corps Motor Transportation School at Camp Johnson. His military awards and decoration are the National Defense Service Medal for service during the Persian Gulf War, Meritorious Mass Certificate for outstanding achievement, Marine Corps Expert Rifle Qualification Badge, and Marine Corps Sharpshooter Pistol Rifle Qualification Badge.
On Dec. 6, 1996, while still a Marine Corps reservist, Richard joined the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office in Jonesboro and started as a deputy assigned to the Jail Division at the Clayton County Jail in Lovejoy which held 500 inmates, the Forest Park Annex which held 200 inmates and later at the new jail located on Tara Blvd, Jonesboro which held 1,600 inmates. He became a deputy in the field division, warrant office and later joined the Clayton County Cobra Unit which focused on street crimes. He was briefly an investigator in the Sex Offender Registration and Tracking (SORT) Unit starting in 2006 and in 2009 was assigned to a new domestic violence prevention unit called the Stalking Unit.
In November 2008 while working at the Sheriff’s Office, Richard met Tiffany Gronbach who worked in the Clayton County Superior Court. They married on Jan. 29, 2011 and moved to Newnan. Tiffany currently works for the Clayton County Finance Department. In 2012, Richard was assigned as an investigator in the Clayton County Fugitive Unit. In 2014, Richard was promoted to Sergeant and assigned to the Tactical Patrol Unit. In 2018, Richard was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to the Stalking Unit where he supervised up to 10 deputies on a shift and worked towards improving the performance and effectiveness of the unit. He spoke before a committee at the State Capital regarding domestic violence. Also during this time, the Truancy Unit and the newly created Burglary and Auto Theft Unit were added to his management.
In 2019, an Executive Captain position was created and this position reported directly to the Sheriff. Richard was promoted to the Execute Captain position and had command and control of up to 70 people assigned to various shifts. In addition to his regular duties, he would routinely stand in for the other Captains and/or Majors on daily tasks and situations. During late 2019, Richard and Tiffany moved to Pike County.
In January 2020, Richard was promoted to Major and on Oct. 2 2020, Major Moen retired from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office. In October 2022, he worked for Hobby Lobby in Griffin, as a seasonal associate, full time associate and then a section head. He was working the day the tornado ripped the roof off the building. His first responder experience kicked in as he assisted evacuating his co-workers and customers from the building to a safe location. With the building being destroyed and no timeframe for reopening, Richard began working for Diversified Fabricators in Griffin.
Richard could not keep away from the excitement and duties of law enforcement, so he applied to be a Deputy at the Pike County Sheriff’s Office. On Oct. 17, 2023, he was hired as a deputy and assigned to the Uniform Patrol Division. Duties included responding to 911 calls, responding to traffic accidents, service of warrants, and traffic enforcement. In January 2025, Richard was promoted to Lieutenant and moved to the Pike County Jail to serve as the Jail Administrator. In this role, Richard is responsible for the care and custody of up to 32 inmates, arranging transportation of inmates to/from other facilities, supervising approximately 12 jailers, procurement of items for the jail, oversight of basic maintenance, review and approve payment of medical bills, and ensuring compliance with applicable laws. In July 2025, he was promoted to Captain and presently continues to serve as the Jail Administrator.
Richard has four adult children: three sons (two Marines and one Airman) and one daughter. In his free time, he likes to build hot rods and muscle cars. He hosts a monthly car cruise for other car enthusiasts to meet in Pike County. In 2023, Richard joined the Pike County American Legion Post 197 and has been a continuous member.
EMS Technician of the Year: Rachel Landrum
In 2019, Rachel graduated from Griffin High School. Rachel initially pursued a career in dog training; working with dogs for show and law enforcement. Her path took a profound turn after she witnessed a fatal accident where she felt powerless to help. That moment became the driving force behind her decision to enter public safety. Determined to be prepared to make a difference in life-or-death situations, she trained at Faithful Guardian Training Center in McDonough, where she earned her EMT certification.
She began her professional career as a Firefighter/EMT with Butts County Fire Department protecting lives and property by responding to fires, medical calls and other emergencies, and serving full time while continuing her work with dog training on her days off. She later transitioned to Pike to serve closer to home, where she felt a deeper sense of purpose in caring for her own community.
“For Rachel, EMS is not just a career – it is a calling. Beyond her professional life, Rachel is a devoted mother to her 4-year-old child, Braxton, who is already beginning to share her enthusiasm for helping others. Together, they live in Concord, along with their dogs and cats. Balancing motherhood with the demands of EMS has only strengthened Rachel’s determination and resilience, shaping her into both a nurturing parent and a steadfast provider in the medical field,” said Richardson. “Rachel Landrum’s story is one of perseverance, service and heart. She has faced challenges, embraced growth, and built a career centered on compassion and excellence in patient care. As she prepares to step into the role of Paramedic, Rachel continues to embody the values of strength, empathy, and dedication that define not only her career but also her life. For her stellar performance and devoted dedication to the Emergency Medical Service profession and our community, Rachel Landrum has been selected as the 2025 Pike County Emergency Medical Technician of the Year.”
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