Officer was wounded in S.D. in 2018

in Ramadi.

Gen. Eric Smith, commandant of the Marine Corps and Roman’s battalion commander in Ramadi, personally signed off on the Purple Heart. The citation was presented by Col. Daniel Whitley, deputy commander of Marine Corps Installations West.

“Roman lives a life of service,” Whitley said. “He selflessly sacrificed for his country, and he continues to

sacrifice for his community.”

In 2015, Roman became an officer with the San Diego Police Department.

Three years later, he suffered three gunshot wounds during a shootout in the College Area that also wounded one of his fellow officers.

Officers were responding to a disturbance at a Rolando Court apartment complex when they came under fire late on the evening of June 23, 2018. Realizing that fellow Officer Dan Bihum was wounded, Roman acted fast.

“I took a position in front of him just in case, so it would be me to get hit next instead of him getting hit again,” Roman told the military news service. “All I could think about was my family and protecting my partner.”

Roman also returned fire along with another officer before being wounded.

The man who had fired on the officers was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound later that night.

Bihum was discharged from a trauma center two days after the shootout. Roman, who spent two days in a medically induced coma and a year in rehabilitation before he was able to return to police duties, attributed his survival to training he received while serving in the Marines. He told the news service he hopes his story might inspire others to undertake careers in the military or law enforcement.

“We serve to help people,” the retired Marine Corps staff sergeant said. “That’s what’s most important.”

COURTESY PHOTO Officer Dan Bihum visits Roman during his recovery from wounds sustained during a shooting in 2018.