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FEDERALSBURG – For Milton and Tina Nagel of Federalsburg, helping Caroline County first responders take good care of their mental health is a top priority.
That’s why they founded the Lucas Nagel Memorial Fund as a loving tribute to their son, Caroline County Sheriff’s Deputy Corporal Lucas Lorenz Nagel, who took his life at the age of 27 on the last day of 2022.
The purpose of the Fund is to support the health and well-being of Caroline County’s first responders. In order to build up the Fund, the Nagels and the fundraising committee carefully planned and organized their first fundraiser, a sporting clay tournament held Sept. 7 at Delmarva Sporting Clays and Rifle Range in Mardela Springs.
The fundraiser netted $33,000, and the Nagels plan to make it an annual event.
“There was more interest than we had room to accommodate,” Milton said. The event was sold out in three days, Tina added.
While they expected 10 local companies to sponsor the first Lucas Nagel Memorial Fund Sporting Clay Tournament, twice that number signed up, allowing some teams of four to participate, including “a lot of Lucas’s friends,” – men and women he knew through law enforcement and the military. Sponsorships helped these public servants travel from all over, including southern Maryland and Pennsylvania, to participate.
Other friends and members of the community rolled up their sleeves, providing plenty and help and support in memory of Lucas, who touched many lives in a positive way.
A graduate of Colonel Richardson High School, Lucas eventually returned to his alma mater as a much-loved school resource officer.
The Class of 2024 bought and dedicated a bench at the baseball field in memory of Lucas.
“We've had a lot of parents and kids come up and tell stories about how he helped them,” Tina said. Milton added, “What Lucas didn’t know was how he touched so many lives.”
Milton himself spent his entire career at Caroline County Public Schools, working with Penny Bradley, whose daughter, Lindsay Greenwood, “served on the fundraiser committee and created the clay shoot logo, t-shirt design, sponsor request design, etc., to include finding the best price for all of the printed materials, t-shirts, etc.,” Milton said.
“While there were a lot of volunteers that served on the committee, and even more that helped the day of the event, Lindsay and Maddi (Nagel) went above and beyond and without their efforts we would not have had a successful event,” he said.
Preston Autoplex’s Wilson family, long acquainted with the Nagels, was a major sponsor of the event. Preston Powersports in Easton provided four side-by-sides to help transport sportsmen from one station to another.
Making an impact
Turning their grief into purpose early in January 2023, the Nagel family, which includes Lucas’s older brother J.T., his wife Maddi, and their toddler son Weston, have invested themselves in helping first responders recognize and seek care for post-traumatic stress and brain health.
“They leapt into action,” said Caroline County EMS Division Chief K.J. Marvel. “And (they) were like, ‘We're going to do this in honor of Lucas, and we're going to be here for you guys.’ And that's huge.”
“And the fact that they have taken that horrible tragedy and are turning it into this beautiful thing in Caroline County. I don't even really have the words. It's amazing,” Marvel said.
Thanks to the Lucas Nagel Memorial Fund for First Responders, Caroline County law enforcement officers, emergency services personnel, 911 dispatchers, volunteer firefighters and even social services professionals have access to resources, books and videos. Funding for specialized books was provided by the Caroline Human Services Council (LMB) and the Children’s Cabinet Interagency Fund.
The Nagels have shown the Conrad Weaver documentary PTSD911 to various local audiences. The film will be aired on Maryland Public Television in January (for more information, visit https://ptsd911movie.com/mpt/).
Once the foundation is built up, Milton said, future plans include working with the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc., and CEO Rick Barton, a Caroline County resident who is also president of the Caroline County Board of Education.
Marvel said the Nagel family has been “really helpful in being a resource for our providers … and using their funds to help make PTSD the forefront, and let our providers know that it's okay not to be okay.”
Caroline County Sheriff Donnie Baker agrees. “The Nagel family has been instrumental in bringing mental health and PTSD to the forefront of our discussions,” he said. “Their dedication is helping to break down the stigma surrounding these issues, creating a safe space for officers to speak openly about their experiences.”
Over 80% of first responders experience traumatic events on the job, and roughly one in three develop PTSD. According to the National Institutes of Health, “police officers experience, on average, over three traumatic events for every six months of service.”
Lucas, an Army veteran who served two deployments with the Army Reserves at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, and with the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office, developed PTSD, a complex set of physical and emotional responses that altered his brain chemistry and overwhelmed his ability to cope.
“I've been around a long time, and back in the day, it was not something you talked about, like you just had to deal with things on your own,” Marvel said. “There wasn't a lot of resources. There wasn't a lot of people that were ready to come in and say to first responders that it's okay if you have a bad call, and it's okay to talk about it.”
Baker said the Lucas Nagel Memorial Fund has had an “incredible impact.”
“This support is essential in addressing the mental health challenges, including PTSD that many of our first responders face,” Baker said. “It means a great deal to know that our community stands with us, enhancing our ability to serve.”
“I wish I could do this fulltime,” Milton said. “There’s so much I want to do because one life lost is too many.”
