[acbny-l] A Fallen Hero Comes Home - Police Provide Escort
- From: "Mann, Jean" <Jean.Mann@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: 'ACBNY' <acbny-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 17:25:02 -0400
Something I though you might all be interested in reading. Very moving.
A Fallen Hero Comes Home - Police Provide Escort
Date : Tue, 29 Apr 2003 10:52:25 -0400
This letter was written by Senior Investigator Jack Graham of SP Marcy
to members of the NY State Police and Syracuse Police who, on April 17,
2003,
participated in an impromptu ceremonial escort for a soldier killed in
Iraq.
On Thursday, April 17, 2003 you participated in an Escort Detail for
GREGORY
P. HUXLEY JR who was killed in action in Iraq on April 6, 2003.
On behalf of the entire Huxley family and from me, personally "Thank You
Very Much". The sincere dedication and emotions that you displayed meant
so much to the Huxley family, that words cannot describe their feelings at
this time.
What most did not know was that the US Army had promised the family
members that they would be taken to Dover, Delaware to be present when their
son
arrived from Iraq and there would be a full military ceremony in Dover
for GREGORY. Unfortunately, there was a communication problem and they were
not present during that ceremony. Then they were informed that the body of
their son was being flown to Syracuse and that the funeral director could
pick up the "fallen soldier" at the cargo area of the airport and that
somebody would help them remove the casket from the cardboard shipping
container for transport to Boonville, NY. That was found to be totally
unacceptable for a nineteen year old kid who gave his life for this
country and for the freedom of so many others. As a family friend, the
funeral
director contacted me to see if anything could be done. We now had six
hours before GREGORY arrived in Syracuse.
Phone calls were made to SP North Syracuse. SGT Nick Harmatiuk took over
from there and what you participated in and observed the rest of that day
was truly an outstanding display of what this agency can do in very short
time.
What happened was just overwhelming.
From SP North Syracuse the procession left, led by eight Syracuse PD
motorcycles, followed by the hearse, four cars with family members
followed by ten State Police and Syracuse PD cars. How ironic it was that
when
the procession was traveling parallel to the runway, the plane carrying
GREGORY landed next to us. We were able to enter the plane's cargo and rid
his
casket of the shipping crate and drape the American flag over it. When
the casket traveled down the conveyor belt, fifteen New York State Troopers
and the same amount of Syracuse Policemen lined the path to the awaiting
hearse.
All came to attention and saluted as six State Troopers carried the flag
draped coffin towards
the hearse. After a short prayer, the family was given some time to welcome
their son home. The entire airport was so quiet, I looked up at the
windows of the concourses and saw a hundred people there, all standing,
watching,
with their hands over their hearts, saluting a young man that they did
not know. Somehow, they were told that a fallen soldier had come home and
they wanted to share the moment with us. The casket was then placed in the
hearse and the
procession left the airport in the same fashion as we arrived, only this
time with a
young hero that our hearts will never forget. The motorcade was escorted
to the Thruway entrance by the Syracuse Police Department's motorcycles, all
traffic was stopped for the procession and we headed east towards Boonville.
After getting off the Thruway, at every
intersection that the procession encountered we found that it had been
blocked by more State Troopers, allowing safe passage with no
interruptions.
As we traveled through these intersections, every State Trooper, stood
at attention, saluting the fallen soldier and his family, honoring GREGORY,
giving him and his family the sincere respect and thankfulness that they
deserved. How emotional that was to see and to reflect on now; words
cannot describe what that was like.
When entering the Village of Boonville, the main street was decorated
with so many American Flags and yellow ribbons. As we approached the center
of town, all of the church bells began to chime at once. Hundreds of people
were there, lining the street, all holding American Flags and all of them
weeping for GREGORY and for what he sacrificed, for us and this country.
As we drove by the village park, the National Anthem was being played, for
GREGORY, and I think, for us. At the funeral home, eight veterans lifted
the casket out of the hearse and into the home with the family. GREGORY
had arrived back in his home town.
I give you that description of events as not all of you took part in the
entire process and I feel that you needed to know. I also think that you
need to know what GREGORY'S family said to me later. The images of the
six State Troopers lifting their son in his flag draped casket off of the
airplane, of all the State Troopers standing at attention, saluting their
son, of the State Troopers standing on the street corners, at attention
and saluting, honoring their son, of the State Police escorts from Syracuse
to Boonville, these sights, and now their memories, will always be etched in
their hearts, forever. But the one memory that will always be there first,
was of the State Troopers
standing at the airport, standing at attention, saluting, with tears running
down
the troopers' cheeks, for their son, a fallen soldier, a hero, that those
Troopers never personally knew.
Our jobs take many different avenues in life; we hope that during our
day or shift that we have made a difference, a positive attribute. Well, on
Thursday, April 17, 2003, you did just that. You let an entire family
know, that you cared, that you were sincere in your caring and the thanks
that
you displayed for GREGORY and his family. Their words to me about you told
me just that. We made a difference yesterday, and we did in style. The
rewards we receive for details like this one you participated in do not come
from
anywhere but from your heart; take pride in what you accomplished yesterday,
because you
accomplished so much. I have had so many good things happen since I have
been a State Trooper, but in the twenty-four years, I have never been
prouder of the New York State Police as I was yesterday.
A fallen soldier, a hero, a son, a brother has finally come home, in
grand deserving style, thanks to you.
Sr/Inv Jack Graham
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