Burke County, North Carolina Sheriff’s Department Master Police Officer Larry Donnell McCorkle was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He was raised in numerous US cities including Dallas, Texas; Lawton, Oklahoma; Hickory, North Carolina; and Glen Alpine, North Carolina. His childhood was loving, having been raised by his mother alongside his siblings. His mother remarried when McCorkle was 14 years old, at which point his stepfather took on an active role in his life. Throughout his childhood, he loved participating in outdoor activities, attending stock car races, wrestling matches at local arenas, rodeos, bowling, hunting, and fishing. McCorkle met his future wife, Trinia, while working at the Hickory Police Department in 1991 and after two years, the pair were married.
McCorkle comes from a long line of family (his father, uncles, brothers, and cousins) who served both in the military, and as First Responders and nurses. As such, he felt a calling and desire to serve, and joined the US Army in 1980. He looked up to and was inspired by his Drill Sergeant, so much so that it became his goal to become a Drill Sergeant himself and train young recruits. After graduating from Drill Sergeant School, McCorkle accomplished his goal and began making soldiers out of the young recruits. Throughout his military career, he served in the 9th Infantry Division, 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 260 Field Artillery Detachment, and 2nd Cannon Training Battalion. After seven years of military service, McCorkle accomplished his life-long dream of becoming a First Responder in 1987. His goal was always to do his job in a professional, transparent, and accountable manner–where he treated all individuals with dignity and respect. Through his years of law enforcement, his integrity remained honorable while working for the Hickory Fire and Police Departments, Catawba County Sheriff’s Department, Morganton Department of Public Safety, and Burke County Sheriff’s Department. McCorkle also patrolled and started the first School Resource Officer Program for the Catawba County Schools, which led to School Resource Officers being in all schools today. He held various positions and titles throughout his life, including Drill Sergeant, First Responder, Firefighter II, Law Enforcement Training Officer, and Master Police Officer. Throughout all of these roles, he never lost sight of his main objective: remain true to his oath to serve and protect his community’s citizens and Democracy.
In 2006, McCorkle was called for mutual aid by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper for assistance, who were attempting to locate a suspect. While on a foot chase to locate the suspect, he experienced a life-altering fall, rendering him unable to move his arms and legs. After being found by a K-9 Unit, it was determined that McCorkle sustained a broken neck and severe spinal cord injury. His initial recovery was very long, and he continues to recover today, undergoing numerous spinal surgeries per year.
He thanks God for the support system he was blessed with – his family, friends, and care team. He would like to show gratitude to his wife, Trinia, his daughters, Keshia, Cassandra, and Brooke, his grandchildren, Aideynn, Cordell, Keileah, Calvin, and Adalynn, his brothers Lennis and Dale, and his mother, Willie, for always standing by his side. McCorkle is also grateful for the love and support throughout his life that he received from his late father James and his late sister Levette. He feels that he was able to persevere and remain resilient through all of life’s setbacks, as a direct result of this support.
Currently, McCorkle and his wife reside in Statesville, North Carolina. He lives each day working to get better (both physically and emotionally) to improve his quality of life. He remains committed to this ongoing journey of healing so he can be a positive role model for his children and grandchildren, and be a better human being and an inspiration to his medical teams who help him every day. In his free time, he enjoys attending his grandchildren’s extracurricular activities.
McCorkle is eternally grateful to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation for providing him with a custom-built Smart Home, which will be equipped with everything he needs to live a more independent life. Finally, Burke County Sheriff’s Department Master Police Officer Larry Donnell McCorkle would like others to know that he is thankful for a career of service, despite all he has been through. He would not change anything about his life. Throughout his 26 honorable years in the military and law enforcement, he repeated the same sentence in his mind, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.”
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has provided Burke County, North Carolina Sheriff’s Department Master Police Officer Larry Donnell McCorkle with a mortgage-free smart home through the Smart Home Program.