I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Washington DC during National Police Week. While there, the Hubster ran the Police Week 5K and we visited the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. The memorial is a sobering reminder that so many have given all in the pursuit of public safety. Unfortunately, it was raining so the pictures aren't great, but the rain seemed fitting--almost as if angels were mourning with those gathered there. The memorial itself is surrounded by a beautiful park setting with trees and seasonal flowers and is composed of two curved marble walls engraved with the names of the more than 19,000 officers who have died. Each of the memorial walls is flanked by a lion protecting its cubs and keeping silent vigil.
It seems that every day a new name is added to the list that will be inscribed just before Police Week begins. The park and memorial are beautiful and worth a stop if you visit DC.
Although the memorial website has stories of the fallen, the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) is another way to stay abreast of officers killed in the line of duty. It seems to me that ODMP has information much quicker though. I find it fascinating to compare the ways in which officers have died through the years. Motor vehicle accidents have taken lives for more years than you might realize if you take the time to scroll through history. I especially like that ODMP is actively seeking the names and stories of officers who died without recognition.
If you click on the Memorial Pages tab and scroll down to choose current year deaths, the current year deaths are displayed as well as a summary of what killed them. If you change the year, though, you can see the causes of deaths throughout time. For example, of the 246 officers who died in 1924, two officers died from being struck by a streetcar, one was electrocuted, two were killed by bombs, and four died from vehicular assault. I find it fascinating and am often surprised by the means of death--like bombs in 1924?. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though. In 1924, Prohibition was in place and the mob was fighting back. Just a few years later, the Valentine's Day Massacre took place--I guess it wasn't really a kinder, gentler world.
If you have the chance, peruse the websites of these organizations, and if you find yourself in DC, consider stopping by the memorial for a few minutes.
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| Seal embedded in center of the memorial plaza |
Although the memorial website has stories of the fallen, the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) is another way to stay abreast of officers killed in the line of duty. It seems to me that ODMP has information much quicker though. I find it fascinating to compare the ways in which officers have died through the years. Motor vehicle accidents have taken lives for more years than you might realize if you take the time to scroll through history. I especially like that ODMP is actively seeking the names and stories of officers who died without recognition.
If you click on the Memorial Pages tab and scroll down to choose current year deaths, the current year deaths are displayed as well as a summary of what killed them. If you change the year, though, you can see the causes of deaths throughout time. For example, of the 246 officers who died in 1924, two officers died from being struck by a streetcar, one was electrocuted, two were killed by bombs, and four died from vehicular assault. I find it fascinating and am often surprised by the means of death--like bombs in 1924?. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though. In 1924, Prohibition was in place and the mob was fighting back. Just a few years later, the Valentine's Day Massacre took place--I guess it wasn't really a kinder, gentler world.
If you have the chance, peruse the websites of these organizations, and if you find yourself in DC, consider stopping by the memorial for a few minutes.
I really enjoyed reading this!
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