The Mid-Atlantic Police & Fire Survivors Weekend
September 27th – 29th, 2013
Good evening everyone.
Thank
you Patrick; and I’d like to especially thank the Mid-Atlantic Police &
Fire Survivors Weekend and the Cape May County Police & Fire Emerald Society
for inviting me here tonight to speak on behalf of the greater law enforcement
community.As Patrick indicated, I’ve become a writer of history, and as such I’d like to pose a historical question to you all from a somewhat different perspective. I’d like you to think about where you are and how you got here, this place, this weekend, this association. Of course your first response is that you are a survivor, be it family, a friend, an associate, or brother officer, we are all survivors. But, if you look into what the deceased officer believed in, why he or she chose this profession, you’ll find one all encompassing answer – Tradition. But what is Tradition? Webster’s defines tradition as the: 1. Transmittal of elements of a culture from one generation to another, esp. by oral communication. 2a. A mode for thought or behavior passed from one generation to another. b. Customs and usages transmitted from one generation to another and viewed as a coherent body of precedents influencing the present: HERITAGE. 3. A body of unwritten religious precepts. 4. A time-honored practice or a set of such practices. 5. Law. Transfer of property to another.
Every
agency and every officer within the law enforcement community and the fire
service is deeply steeped in Tradition.
It is their Heritage, and I’d like to touch on a few examples:
The Hand Salute: You’ve all seen
military personnel salute each other, you’ve all seen police and fire service
personnel do the same thing, salute each other. But where did the salute come from, where did
it originate? Well there are several
theories on the hand salute. The one
that I think poses the most believable dates back to medieval times, the
Renaissance, the 13th and 14th centuries. It’s a time when Europe was ruled by kings in
various kingdoms, and they had knights dressed in coats of armor that patrolled
the kingdoms. And from time to time when
they would do their perimeter patrols they would come across their counterpart
from the neighboring kingdoms. And as
the two knights approached each other, they would outstretch their right hand,
their strong hand, their sword hand, and showing no weapon, no threat. They would raise the face shield of their
helmet showing their face as a sign of friendship and respect. The salute has been handed down through the
ages and believe it or not, has been adopted by every standing army, police,
and fire department on the entire planet, everyone salutes.
During
the funeral of military officers, police officers, and fire service personnel
the hand salute is very important. It’s
a final salute, a show of friendship, admiration, and respect for the fallen
officer.
The Funeral Procession: The funeral procession dates all the way back
to ancient Roman times where the heads of state, the Senators and such would
have vast funeral processions a parade if you will, where everyone attended and
took part. Then again, if you were a
mere citizen or a peasant, there was no funeral procession for you. It was incumbent upon your son or your
closest friend to take your body to the crypt to be buried. I don’t need to explain to you how important
the funeral procession is for military, police, and fire service
personnel. The mere fact that so many
people take part, the fact that they are so detailed, lends credence to just
how important these people are to the community.
The Riderless Horse: You’ve seen the
riderless horse in various funeral processions, mainly the military, police,
and sometimes in the fire service. The riderless
horse dates back cavalry times, it’s a cavalry tradition. And when you see the riderless horse
following behind the caisson where the casket is being transported it gives a
specific sign of what’s transpired, the Trooper rides no more. That’s what it means, the Trooper rides no
more.
Taps: We’ve all heard Taps, but do you know where
Taps came from? Believe it or not, Taps
isn’t all that old. It originated during
the Civil War, right here in the United States.
It’s played by a lone bugler you here far off in the distance at the
cemetery during the funeral service.
Originally, Taps denoted during the Civil War a direction for the
soldiers to rest and put out their fires.
Now days, Taps played at a funeral services is a call to the deceased to
take his final resting place.
These
customs instill an important sense of pride in each and every officer, time
honored practices passed on from one generation to another, they’re unwritten
religious precepts influencing the present.
Their Heritage, their Traditions, they’re important. I will tell you that I’ve attended far too
many law enforcement funerals, and I was honored to attend every one. It is the ultimate opportunity to express
your friendship, admiration, and respect for a fellow comrade.
While
researching my book I came across an early documented event in support of
officer benefits from which I wrote:
The service of a Jersey Trooper is not one of pomp and
grandeur, but of dedication and perseverance, encompassing long hours and
patrols far from home. It’s a calling
measured by many successes and few rewards, a career of duty and integrity,
where every member is asked to do the unexpected, in an expected fashion.
Governor Calvin Coolidge remarked while addressing the
Worcester Police Outing in Worcester, Massachusetts on October 2, 1920:
The duties which a police officer owes
to the state are of a most exacting nature.
No one is compelled to choose the profession of a police officer, but
having chosen it, everybody is obliged to live up to the standard of its
requirements. To join in that high
enterprise means the surrender of much individual freedom. The police officer has chosen a profession
that he must hold to at all peril…
But there is toward the officer a
corresponding duty of the State. It owes
him a generous compensation for the perils he endures for the protection of
society. It owes him the knowledge of
security that is to be his from want in his declining years. It owes him that measure that is due to the
great importance of the duties he discharges.
That
was 1920, and over the decades officer benefits have risen substantially. But you must keep in mind that politicians,
not police officers or the fire service allocate and approve benefits. It has been my experience that anytime you
leave something up to politicians it only winds up being half right at best –
no offense.
But
25 years ago, here in New Jersey, surviving family members received virtually
no benefits, especially in light of the supreme loss they incurred. Where was the justice, when active duty and
retirees and their families enjoyed the same benefits that your fallen husbands
had worked just as hard for and ultimately paid with their very lives in the
service of the State?
Then
in 1987, four wives of fallen Jersey Troopers, killed in the line of duty
rallied in the hopes of correcting that disservice. Nancy Moos, Peggy Mallen, Donna Lamonaco and
Michelle Carroll, four very motivated and courageous ladies stepped forward and
challenged the politicians to right this shortcoming.
Their
efforts have resulted in great accomplishments over the past 2 ½ decades. Not only have they achieved the benefits they
required, but because of their plight, organizations and events such as this
have been established. In essence: Their actions established time honored
practices that are now passed on from one generation to another, influencing
the present. They are in fact New
Traditions.
On
behalf of the greater law enforcement community I’d like to acknowledge these
four ladies and all that have followed in their footsteps. These are the Traditions that result from
tragedy.
And
lastly, I like to share one more Tradition that was adopted in 1923 with the
passing of our first Jersey Trooper.
It’s a Calvary Tradition that simply states, “Once a Trooper, Always a
Trooper.” Their inability to complete
their patrol made them and their families no less worthy. While you may have lost your loved one, you
will always be a part of our law enforcement family.
Thank you all very much, and may God Bless.
Lt. George J.
Wren, Jr., #3680 – NJSP (Ret)
Candlelight
Vigil – September 28, 2013
North Wildwood,
New Jersey
