A life worth saving...

It was a cold December night, so he is wearing a parka. He was a wild youth...wild, troubled, desperate. He had just robbed a gas station. THEY were after him, which only served to make him even more desperate. He fled in a car to the interstate, where he bailed out of the car and fired three shots at a Sheriff's Deputy that was pursuing him. He ran. He tried desperately to think of a plan. How could he get away? Then it came to him; he hid in a field until the searchers were gone. K-9s were not a part of every police force as they are today and infra-red lights are at least one decade away. So they missed him. He got away, but he is far from safe. There are two outstanding warrants for him: one for sexual assault and the other for grand theft auto. He is growing more desperate by the minute.

He had to get away. He needed a plan. He could see a house with lights on. Then it came to him, "Go to THEM." Yes, go to them and that would make them stop coming. He ran and ran. He had to get to the house.

On the other side of town, a family is preparing dinner. This well liked family of six is headed by the Mequon Police Chief. The four boys were their parents' pride. There are many athletic events to attend for this family. Many future joys of parenthood for a man and wife who adored each other as much as they adored their boys. It was a good life.

They lived a nice life in a mid-western suburb of Milwaukee. It is a place where Mercedes, BMWs and Jaguars are the automobile of choice. It is a nice community where good things happen to good people. It is a community that takes pride in its schools and services.

It is Dec. 2, 1979, a Sunday and the youth in the parka, Anthony Johnson, 19, knocks on the farm house door. The father is in the shower, so one of the older children answers the door. The youth forces his way into the house. He tells the woman that he is here to see her husband. She tells him he isn't available right now and asks him to step outside. Then the youth makes a choice that will affect all of the lives discussed before: he pulls a gun.

The family of five was pushed into the living room. The parents and three children. One of the children was only two months old, her name was Becky Schuller, her daddy's name is Doug.

Anthony wants to flee the home, so he orders Doug to drive him in the family car. Before Anthony and Doug walk out of the house, Anthony grabs the baby-he has decided to bring her along for insurance; however, the wind chill is 45 degrees below zero and the baby is only dressed in a terry cloth onesie. Perhaps Anthony didn't have a chance to take all of the factors into consideration. More likely he didn't care. No, he didn't care that he was stacking the odds against his little bundle of insurance-a two month old baby cannot survive the wind chill with nothing more than a terry-cloth outfit.

Mequon Police Chief Tom Buntrock was called in because the gas station had been robbed. Meanwhile, Anthony, Doug and Baby Becky are fleeing the farm house. Doug's wife, Regina contacted the police and they surrounded the car in town. Anthony shoved the barrel of a gun into the baby's ribs and threatened to shoot her if police tried to capture him.

Chief Buntrock was a voice of calm in the scene. He told Anthony to calm down. Then Chief Buntrock removed his own winter coat and gave it to Anthony to wrap around the baby. The stand-off continued, but then Chief Buntrock made an offer that Anthony couldn't refuse: the chief offered to trade places with Baby Becky. It was too good to be true: a cop for a crying baby. Anthony agreed.

Anthony handed the baby to the chief and the chief passed the baby to the police chaplain. The chaplain's eyes locked with the chief's and the chief handed his side arm to the chaplain. Then the chief climbed into the car with Anthony and Becky's dad, Doug, who escaped. So it was the desperate youth and the chief of police in the vehicle.

The chief and Anthony struggled with the gun and a shot was fired. Anthony had been mortally wounded in the head. The Chief shot him, but in the darkness of the night, it looked like Anthony had fired the shot, so officers fired and killed the Chief. A tragedy that is very difficult to live with for the officers, the Chief's family and for the Schuller's.

The Chief's wife, Kathy, eventually remarried. Their boys are good men. Becky's mom, Regina and Kathy became lifelong friends. They get together every Christmas Eve to remember the man who saved Becky's life.

Chief Thomas Buntrock Memorial statue in front of the Mequon Police Department

Chief Buntrock traded his life for that of Baby Becky Schuller, who is now a beautiful young woman. She got married just last year. Just one week ago, she graduated with honors from medical school. Yes, Baby Becky is now a doctor and she saves lives. Chief Buntrock did a wonderful thing that bitter cold December night. He knows it. Becky knows it. God knows it. Now so do you.