Photo credit, left, Mike DeSisti, Appleton Post Crescent, 2006; Right Kaukauna Police Department, April 20, 2017
Photo credit, left, Mike DeSisti, Appleton Post Crescent, 2006; Right Kaukauna Police Department, April 20, 2017
Photo credit, left, Mike DeSisti, Appleton Post Crescent, 2006; Right Kaukauna Police Department, April 20, 2017.

KAUKAUNA — More than a decade after a Kaukauna police officer saved the life of an infant, the boy has written an essay to thank the officer.

Officer Charles Vosters and Ezekiel Tomlin met again recenlty for the first time since the incident, according to a post on the Kaukauna Police Department Facebook page.

More than 2,000 people have liked the post, and 100 have commented in the first 12 hours since photographs of the reunion were posted.

Tomlin was 10-months old in March of 2006 when his mother called 911 to say her son was choking and losing consciousness, according to the police department post.

“Vosters responded to the address, lights and sirens, heart racing and full of anxiety, hoping his training would guide him through this call,” the post read.

Tomlin’s essay, that he recently wrote for a class assigment, described what happened next.

“Officer Vosters quickly took the child from his mother’s arms, gave the little boy a brief visual assessment, turned him over and proceeded to administer two perfectly positioned blows to his back.

“At that moment, the baby gasped and gulped for air, like a swimmer hitting the surface after being underwater far too long.

“The child’s mother yelled, ‘Wait, I see something!’ With a flick of his arm, Vosters turned the boy over.

“His mother gave the baby a quick sweep of his mouth with her finger … and pulled out a bright pink Barbie shoe.”

Tomlin had heard the story many times over the years from is mother, and when asked to write a paper for school about a hero in his life, he chose Vosters.

When they met again for the first time in 11 years, Tomlin was able to tell first-hand how Vosters had saved his life.



Paid partnership



Paid partnership






By Dan Plutchak

Dan Plutchak, born and raised in Kaukauna, is cofounder of Kaukauna Community News.