Videos turn Eugene Goodman into a reluctant hero in the Capitol attack

WASHINGTON – Among the harrowing images presented during the impeachment trial of former President Donald J. Trump, a video stood out: a police officer running towards a United States senator to warn of the angry crowd nearby.

The senator, Mitt Romney, is shown turning around and fleeing for safety.

“I don’t think my family or wife understood that I was as close to real danger as I could be,” Romney told reporters on Thursday, the day after the video showed Eugene Goodman, a police officer already known for his bravery, helping him. “They were surprised and thanked, very, very much, Officer Goodman for being there and directing me back to safety.”

For officer Goodman, it was the second time that a video went viral showing actions widely credited for saving members of Congress. The first, who showed him alone by drawing a crowd from the Senate entrance towards a reinforced area, turned him into a hero. The second added to its tradition.

Both catapulted Officer Goodman – a former Army infantryman who served in one of the most dangerous parts of Iraq during one of the most lethal times of the war – to fame he never sought.

On Wednesday, after watching videos showing Officer Goodman directing Romney to safety, Romney could be seen talking to Officer Goodman. Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, later came over and punched Officer Goodman.

On Thursday, spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi highlighted Officer Goodman for his courage in presenting legislation to award the Capitol Police and other law enforcement officers who responded on January 6 with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor of Congress. On January 20, Officer Goodman was tasked with accompanying Vice President Kamala Harris to President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Veterans who served alongside officer Goodman in the 101st Airborne Division about 15 years ago in Iraq say the officer, then known as “Goody”, never yearned for praise.

“I saw him leave in front of the vice president and he immediately ducked to the right,” said Mark Belda, who served with Officer Goodman in Iraq. “I thought this was definitely Goody.”

When he watched the first video closely, Belda said, he saw attributes he recognized in Iraq’s Goodman officer. “He was not prone to anger. As an infantryman, your job is to be violent, but it was never your first reaction to use the stick before using the carrot. “

In Iraq, Officer Goodman was a sergeant and leader of a 10-man rifle squad that took on new responsibilities shortly after his unit arrived in 2005.

His “Hardrock Company” operated in the Sunni triangle area near Baghdad, in central Iraq, where American troops fought some of the war’s fiercest fighting.

Platoons were required to conduct multiple combat patrols each day to identify explosives before they were detonated, a job that generally resulted in several injuries, according to Lt. Col. Jeff Farmer, who served alongside Officer Goodman at the company.

“The leader of the front team was critical, someone willing to take that risk and lead his team day after day,” said Colonel Farmer.

That leader was Officer Goodman.

“I don’t remember exactly how many dismantled patrols Goody led as a top man in the company, but I can say that he was probably in his hundreds, making him the right guy, frankly, when others needed assurance that things were going to stay. well, ”said Colonel Farmer.

Officer Goodman was a quiet professional, his superiors said, serious and focused on his missions, but also quick with a joke to ease tension in the ranks, they said. His fellow soldiers could count on him to do “whatever it took,” said John Greis, who served as a platoon sergeant in Iraq. “This is coldness under pressure.”

Colonel Farmer said he was not surprised when he saw the video of Officer Goodman facing the angry crowd on Capitol Hill.

“Quiet, cool and collected under fire, that’s just Goody,” said Colonel Farmer. “I trusted my life with him, and I still do today.”

Officer Goodman is now in uncomfortable territory, according to his veteran colleagues. He made no public comments and did not return several requests for interviews, including a handwritten note in his apartment near District Heights, Maryland.

A neighbor said that Officer Goodman had not returned to his apartment in the days after the Capitol attack, and advised those in his building not to speak to the media.

“He doesn’t want to be in the limelight. He just wants to dodge and you can all do whatever you want, ”said Belda, Goodman’s former first sergeant. “Let me do my job and you guys do what you want, just leave me alone.”

Charles H. Ramsey, who led the police departments in Washington and Philadelphia, said that the actions of Officer Goodman and others who responded to the violence on January 6 were even more impressive, as “they were put in a terrible position” by senior officials who failed to act on intelligence indicating that violent groups intended to meet in Washington.

“And yet, they responded in a very heroic way. They made the most of it. Without them, that would have been an unbelievable tragedy, ”said Ramsey. “If Mitt Romney had continued down the hall and found those rioters or insurgents, I have no doubt that he probably would have been taken.”

But he also said the new fame could be embarrassing for a policeman who never wanted it.

“He’s getting a lot of attention, and deservedly so, but he also knows he wasn’t the only person there that day,” said Ramsey. “He is a hero, there is no doubt about it. But I also find it strange to be in that position. “

When Mr. Belda saw footage of Officer Goodman facing the Capitol crowd, he remembered the feeling he had when he was outnumbered while fighting outside a helicopter that had just been shot down in Mogadishu, Somalia, during the 1993 battle. known as Black Hawk Down.

“I know this feeling, when you feel that you are outnumbered and do not know what will happen next,” said Belda. “But you have to do your job.” A few hours after the attack on the Capitol, Mr. Belda reached out to Officer Goodman, but he was brief. He realized that he must be overwhelmed.

“I just texted him and said, ‘Man, I know you don’t want to talk about it,'” said Belda. “But I am proud of you.” Officer Goodman responded by saying he was grateful for the message.

Mr. Belda said that he would like to tell him in person soon.

Emily Cochrane contributed reporting.