Rarely has Bill Blair presented honourary Toronto Police badges during his nine-year tenure. It’s even more uncommon for a non-Canadian to be given the special honour.

On April 4, United States Army Special Forces Major Lonni Johnston became just the second, after United States Marshals Service director Staci Hylton, afforded the unique tribute.

Sergeant Jeff Alderdice, assigned to 22 Division, recommended Johnston for the honour.

Alderdice worked closely with Johnston while he was deployed in Afghanistan, three years ago, as part of the RCMP International Police Peace Operations program that ended last month.

On February 12, 2011, Taliban fighters attacked the police provincial headquarters in Kandahar where Johnston was stationed. The insurgents opened fire from a wedding hall across the street, then manoeuvred suicide bombers to attack the station using vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.

“Sporadic gunfire could be heard in the downtown core of Kandahar City and an emergency message was relayed that the Afghan National Police provincial headquarters was under attack by an unknown-sized enemy force,” Alderdice recalled. “As we arrived on the scene, we came under fire from about 30 to 40 insurgents whose mission was to kill the police chief because he had made significant inroads with the local population.”

Johnston required help, desperately, when the attack started.

“I needed someone to support me as I was on foot by myself after our vehicles were repositioned at points to give the best field of fire,” he said. “I had no one to support me on the ground.”