Dear Editor,
As we recognize National Law Enforcement Week 2023, I commend and give a heartfelt thank you to the brave men and women of law enforcement that serve our communities with dedication, commitment, valor, and sacrifice. I thank their families for the sacrifices, for although the oath is of that of the officer, it is also requiring the support and great sacrifices for the family as well.
I thank law enforcement for their professionalism, for their sworn oath to preserve and protect life, liberty, and property. For their courage to safeguard democracy. To safeguard our democracy at any cost, including the ultimate sacrifice.
I am grateful and appreciate our community of law enforcement that serve tirelessly in collaboration with each other, to best serve and make a positive difference, whether on duty or off. These heroes are leaders, our neighbors, who volunteer as fire and rescue squad members. Police Officers that invest in our youth as coaches, mentoring and serving in organizations such as YOVASO, Help Save The Next Girl, EFFORT, Younglife and many more. Officers that serve in churches, schools, courts, and hospitals. Police Officers that work with our business owners to strengthen economic wellness and growth through safety and protection.
As we honor all those that serve and have served, may we never forget to pay tribute and remember our fallen officers. Since the first recorded death in 1786, and according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, more than 26,000 law enforcement officers in the United States have made the ultimate sacrifice and been killed in the line of duty. In Montgomery County, we remember Officer Terry Griffith, Officer Scott Hylton, Security Guard Derrick McFarland, Corporal Eric Sutphin, and Officer Deriek Crouse for their ultimate sacrifice.
I encourage all citizens to reflect upon our freedoms, and to remember and honor our law enforcement and their families.
Sherri Blevins
Christiansburg, Virginia