By Lynn Venhaus, Managing Editor, as published in the Republic-Times .

An ordinary guy's been honored for doing an extraordinary act.

Terry Holcomb of Renault received an American Red Cross Lifesaver Award in a ceremony Monday in St. Louis.

While on his mail route, U.S. Postal Service worker Holcomb heard a distinct "pop" and turned around to witness flames and smoke pouring from the home of 95-year-old Esther Earnie.

He guided her to safety as emergency personnel arrived on the scene.

Holcomb, 54, has been working as a mail carrier for twelve and a half years, but never had anything like that happen.

"And I hope it doesn't happen again," he said, downplaying his heroics. "I was just at the right place at the right time."

Holcomb said he believes he was "put there for a reason." He was on his route in south St. Louis, out of the Gravois post office.

While he shies away from the limelight, Holcomb said the ceremony was very nice, and he saw people he knew from New Athens, who had helped save a teenage boy who collapsed in the high school gym.

"It was very nice. It was something," Holcomb commented about the ceremony.

Holcomb is also going to be honored by his postmaster on Friday.

Holcomb was among more than 20 local heroes from Illinois and Missouri honored by the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter for being Good Samaritans.

Each honoree had employed life-saving techniques, such as CPR and automated external defibrillators to bring fellow citizens back to life or rescue them from danger.

The people who saved Gibault teacher and coach Jim Corsi during a workout at the Belleville East YMCA were among those honored.

In February, Corsi lost consciousness and YMCA members and employees Susan Clayton, Jim Cusic, Daryl Schwoebel and Jim Shoffstall, all of Belleville, worked as a team using CPR, a bag valve mask and oxygen, and an AED to save the life of Corsi.

Red Cross officials present the awards to show that residents prepared themselves through training and reached out to save a life.

The Lifesaver Award program is designed to inspire others to get trained in First Aid and CPR by recognizing local citizens who prepared themselves to respond in an emergency situation.

Since 1984, the St. Louis Red Cross has honored more than 200 local heroes.

The program supports the Red Cross mission to help communities prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies, spokesman Stephen Hall said.