Officer praised for helping wounded veteran’s family see him race at Powerboat Grand Prix

A Sarasota police officer went “above and beyond” on his day off to help a paralyzed personal watercraft racer during the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix over the weekend.

A tweet from the Sarasota Police Department shares the story of Officer Ken Goebel and personal watercraft racer Anthony Radetic through a series of text page screen shots.

Members of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office reached out to the police department’s Marine Unit last week to ask for assistance in providing Radetic’s family with a boat ride to watch him compete in the P1 AquaX race.

Radetic served in Afghanistan as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot. But, after he returned home, he was paralyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle crash in 2004. He’s competed internationally for several years since, according to the tweet.

Radetic is part of Operation Second Chance, a group of citizens who serve and provide support for wounded, injured and ill veterans and their families.

Goebel, who wasn’t expected to work Saturday and is also part of Operation Second Chance, didn’t hesitate to say yes to assisting with a boat ride for Radetic’s family.

Goebel went “above and beyond” to help to coordinate a safety team for Radetic’s races over the weekend and prepare him for the race, the tweet said.

“If Anthony needed something, we helped. His family needed a ride on a boat to see him race, we made sure it happened,” Goebel was quoted in the tweet.

This story was originally published July 5, 2017 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Officer praised for helping wounded veteran’s family see him race at Powerboat Grand Prix."