Deputy Ignacio David Garcia received a great honor on Wednesday, Dec. 11, as he was recognized at the Nueces County Commissioner's meeting for his 39 years of service.However, 23 years ago his service and his life were almost cut short. In Feb. 2001, Garcia responded to a call in Bishop about a suspicious man in a convenience store.When Garcia arrived and told the man he would have to perform a routine check, the suspect pulled out a 38-caliber gun and shot him five times. The bullets struck Garcia in the chest, stomach, back and heart."Seconds were going by fast and they were fighting for my life," Garcia said.Garcia survived and after receiving a Purple Heart medal for the incident, he continued serving for another 23 years to present day where he is deciding to hang it up. Over the past few years, Garcia has worked as security for the Nueces County Courthouse for specific cases that needed extra security."I took great pride in doing that and I felt very honored that they would select me to go up and help the judges," Garcia said.Now that he's retiring, Garcia plans to do more things around his house, and spend time visiting friends and family.