Dean Lardinois, Green Bay, WI

Letter Carrier Dean Lardinois

Letter Carrier Dean Lardinois was delivering mail on a chilly spring day in Green Bay, WI, when he encountered an unsupervised toddler locked out of an apartment building near a busy intersection.

Lardinois opened the door for the 2-year-old boy — who was visibly cold in only a T-shirt and a diaper — and kept an eye on him while servicing the cluster box unit.

Afterward, the Postal Service employee attempted to locate a caregiver, and the boy led him to an open, dark apartment where no one appeared to be at home.

Lardinois flagged down a police officer driving by, who called for backup and soon determined that the boy’s mother was in a bedroom asleep — unaware that he’d wandered off.

The customer told the officers she was grateful for their help, to which one responded, “Don’t thank us, thank your mail carrier.”


Employees featured in “Heroes’ Corner” also receive letters of commendation through the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program. The nomination form is available on Blue.