Tri-agency ceremony remembers the fallen
Bradford SO, Union SO, Starke PD
Tri-agency ceremony remembers the fallen
Bradford SO, Union SO, Starke PD
A joint memorial service held by the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office, the Union County Sheriff’s Office and the Starke Police Department is rotated between the three departments and was hosted this year by the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office on May 1.
The following was submitted by The Bradford County Sheriff's Office ~
A somber evening as roughly 60 Correctional Officers and 50 Law Enforcement Officers from Bradford and Union Counties gather to pay tribute to Fallen Officers at the Bradford County Fair Grounds in Starke, Florida.
A yearly event, between two small Florida counties where Correctional and Law Enforcement Officers mingle like brothers and sisters, and as the families are escorted inside we’re reminded that this is not a day for the Officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice, but it’s more for the families that received the news that their loved one will not be coming home on that dreadful day. And although these Officers are no longer with us
their families can see that we will never forget and will always care.
I felt the pain at Roll-Call as the names of the Officers are read aloud that have perished this past year doing what they so dearly loved. I try in my mind to put a face to the Officer and as I look around I begin to see those faces. They are standing all around me, the men and women of my community that put their lives on the line every day to do a job that most can only experience in movies and television. I feel the bond that grows between everyone that’s in the room, the Pride of doing what we love, and the sorrow that’s felt for the families as they are led from the building.
As the bugles are played and the seven guns echo the shots heard around our community, I watch the bag-pipes disappear around the building and the reflection of the blue lights in the fading evening, I thank God that I am a part of this and would not trade it for anything.
By Major William E. Smith
Reception and Medical Center Hospital
Special Thanks to the following Institutions and Agencies represented for the Law Enforcement Memorial held in Starke, Florida May 1st, 2008
Department of Corrections Region 2 Offices Reception and Medical Center
New River Correctional Institution Union Correctional Institution
Florida State Prison Lawtey Correctional Institution
Alachua County Sheriff Office Alachua County Fire and Rescue
Bradford County Sheriff Office Clay County Sheriff Department
Starke Police Department Union County Sheriff Office
Florida Highway Patrol Florida Department of Transportation
Florida Wildlife Commission
