HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Once again a good crowd was in attendance for the brief memorial service Friday honoring law enforcement officers, especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect the citizens they served. This event is held annually as part of National Peace Officer’s Memorial Day.
The guest speaker was Brigadier General Robert Windham, who is the assistant Adjutant General of Kansas for the Army. He spoke of what law enforcement officers do for us every day.
He said that, “Today, we give gratitude for those who have served with unwavering integrity and honor.” He says they did so with their very lives defending our families and communities.
He says, often with our busy lives, we take for granted what those who lost their lives, the sacred gift, gave to us.
Also speaking during the ceremony was Reno County Sheriff Randy Henderson. He told the gathering that last year 128 men and women of law enforcement lost their lives in the U.S. Henderson added that, already this year, we have lost 35.
The invocation was given by law enforcement Chaplain, Pastor Willard Stafford, who serves for both Hutchinson Police and the Reno County Sheriff’s Office.
The ceremony was concluded by the raising of the stars and stripes and the playing of taps.
They also had a lunch at a park near the Law Enforcement Center where hamburgers, chips, cookies and drinks were served as a courtesy of the local Civitan Club and Reno County Crime Stoppers.