Honor deputy by remembering him and his ultimate sacrifice

We live in a world overflowing with pop celebrity and cardboard heroes.

Open the pages of any newspaper or magazine, and you'll find the latest music or movie industry superstar grinning back at you with bright white teeth and a look that says they're on top of the world. Channel surf a bit and you'll meet the newest, greatest professional athletes on the planet. They're super-rich, and everyone wants their autographs and jerseys.

The noise is deafening.

And then you hear just a little about the life and ultimate sacrifice of Nye County sheriff's D eputy Ian Michael Deutch, and all those American false idols fade to comic insignificance.

A member of the Nevada National Guard's 221st Cavalry Wildhorse Squadron, the 27-year-old Deutch had been home in Pahrump from Afghanistan less than a month when he insisted on returning to work as a deputy. On his second day back on the job he loved in the community he protected, he was killed in a gunfight at Terrible's Lakeside Casino after answering a domestic dispute call. The shooter, James Chaffin, fired an SKS semi-automatic rifle. Chaffin was shot and killed by Nye County sheriff's Deputy Tom Klenczar. It's clear from the viciousness of the attack on Deutch, who was shot five times, Chaffin had no compunction about taking many lives before he was stopped. Deutch, Klenczar, and responding Deputy Doug Phillips were truly heroic.

For Deutch, service and family were everything. As the testimonials flowed in, it became clear he took pride in standing in the dangerous breach, whether it was in Afghanistan or on the streets of Pahrump.

Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo hired Deutch in 2004. Deutch was following his brother, Nye sheriff's Deputy Richard Deutch.

"We were the only ones to give him a chance because he was so young," DeMeo said. "He just wasn't going to be denied. He wanted to be a cop. At 17 years old, he signed up for the National Guard. At 20 years old, he signed up for the police academy and paid his own way. He was someone who knew what he wanted to do with his life at a very young age, and he dedicated himself to those goals."

When you talk about the qualities you want in a police officer -- character, dedication, devotion, courage -- Deutch possessed them all, DeMeo said. The sheriff entrusted Deutch as a rookie with the department's beloved police dog, Chico.

Most Nevadans, myself included, never met Deutch. We are the poorer for it. The least we can do as a community is to make sure Deutch is remembered and his family isn't neglected. A memorial account has been set up in his name at Nevada State Bank. DeMeo said citizens and law enforcement members who would like to send condolences may do so online at
rememberingian@co.nye.nv.us.

"We only had him home for 27 days," his mother, Suzy Deutch, told a Review-Journal reporter in stunned disbelief. "And then he was gone."

After Saturday's funeral service at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, after most of the tributes to the deputy had been spoken and published, Nevada and the rest of America returned to false idol worship. The pop stars preened, the pro athletes flexed, and I am left wondering whether some generous soul will seize the moment and help erect a monument to the bravery of one soldier and sheriff's deputy who never failed to serve. There should be a scholarship for his 5-year-old daughter, Savonya, and help for his widow, Vicky.

The best way to honor Ian Deutch's ultimate sacrifice is to make sure neither the man nor the brave act is ever forgotten.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith.