Local sheriffs Steve Wilson and Phil Summers were honored Wednesday with Fort Oglethorpe Kiwanis Club’s Distinguished Service Award.

About 170 people turned out for the awards luncheon at the Walker Civic Center.

Club president Chris McKeever said, “We are very excited to have the 2009 Distinguished Service Award luncheon and we are honoring sheriff Steve Wilson for Walker County and sheriff Phil Summers for Catoosa County.”

According to McKeever, this is the second year the club has held the awards ceremony.

“We look at the community as a whole and we realize how important professional integrity, community service and civic mindedness is,” she said. “And so when we look at our two counties, we try to find someone who truly has distinguished themselves through their profession in the community endeavors, and both of the sheriffs just really shot to the top of the list for us.”

On receiving the award, Summers said, “I would like to say thank you very much to the club for their recognition.”

Summers invited his employees to be at the luncheon and gave them recognition for their service as well.

“Anytime I receive some type of recognition, the employees are the ones who do the job, and I always realize that, and I appreciate you very much. Thank you for the recognition,” Summers said.

After receiving the award, Wilson said, “Without the people at these two tables here, as Phil said, family, and your core of your management staff at the sheriff’s office, you wouldn’t be as successful.”

“I am a very blessed man to be in this position. …. There is no doubt in my mind at all that God lead me into this position, put me in this position for a reason, and I tell folks, this is not my office. I do not own it. I am just there as a caretaker for a season and it has been a great honor to be able to represent you as sheriff at the Walker County sheriff’s office,” Wilson said. “I am a blessed, blessed man, with a blessed family and a sheriff’s office that proves it well.”

The two sheriffs were greeted with a standing ovation and were accompanied by their families.

A video presentation produced by UCTV-3 production manager Brian Perry was given, in which several of the sheriffs’ family members and friends gave humorous and heartfelt testimonies on the two men.