Ligonier Borough resident Dean Kerklo is, first and foremost, a survivor.

This Pennsylvania state trooper has seen plenty of grief in his 44 years, but he will not let it overwhelm him.

In May, Trooper Kerklo will take part in the 2010 Police Unity Tour. He will ride a bicycle with hundreds of fellow law enforcement officers from northern New Jersey to Washington, D.C., to raise funds for the National Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial Fund and Museum. They will carry with them the memories of fallen comrades.

Trooper Kerklo, Pittsburgh Lt. Reyne Kacsuta and Aspinwall officer Shawn McMinn announced their involvement with the cause recently at South Allegheny Middle School.

It was a special day for Trooper Kerklo, a Liberty Borough native and 1984 South Allegheny High School graduate. But it was one that almost did not occur.

A little more than a decade ago, he was nearly slain in the line of duty.

Trooper Kerklo was working out of the Greensburg barracks in the spring of 1999, when he responded to a domestic dispute in Hempfield. He entered the house and saw a man holding a gun to a woman's head.

"I got through the door and attempted to disarm the man," he remembered. "During the struggle, he fired the gun and I was hit at point-blank range."

The bullet was lodged in the sixth vertebra of his spine, leaving the right side of his body paralyzed. After Trooper Kerklo was flown to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh, medical personnel told his family that he might not make it through the night.

But using the fighting spirit that helped get him through his training, Trooper Kerklo simply went about the business of working to recover.

"I wasn't going to curl up in a ball and feel sorry for myself," he said. "I just pushed on and went about getting better."

With hard work, Trooper Kerklo was able to return to the force. Although he has limited use of his right hand, he is able to lead a normal life.

"Who knows, in a few years, I may be able to regain full use of my right hand," he said.

In recognition of his recovery and dedication to law enforcement, Trooper Kerklo has received numerous awards, including the 1999 Pennsylvania State Trooper of the Year award, the 2000 International State Trooper of the Year award and the Medal of Honor. He also carried the Olympic torch in 2001 leading up to the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

The shooting that left him seriously injured in 1999 was not the only time he was touched by tragedy, though.

Last year, his 14-year-old daughter, Carlie, died from a heart ailment.

"That was unbelievably tough," Trooper Kerklo said. "She fought and pushed so hard throughout her life. She is one of the reasons that I am not feeling sorry for myself."

With the grief still fresh, Trooper Kerklo is setting out to honor his daughter along with fallen Pittsburgh police officers Eric Kelly, Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo III -- who were gunned down in Stanton Heights last April -- by taking part in the 300-mile ride.

"No question, my daughter is my inspiration," he said. "Those three guys who gave their lives to this job are also pushing me too. It's going to be real emotional when we reach D.C."

Trooper Kerklo was an avid bicyclist before he was shot, making this event all the more important to him.

"It's been about 10 years since I was on my bike," he said. "I cannot wait. Our motto is, 'We ride for those who died.'

"They would be riding for me if I didn't make it, and that makes this all the more special."

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