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Local officers honored at candlelight vigil

By Eric Morris emorris@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read
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Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard

Officer Hammond of the Alexandria County Police Honor Guard stands at attention in an honor guard to allow fallen officers’ survivors to pass on their way to the memorial ceremony.

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Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard

Crowds of police officers and fallen officers’ surviving families fill the corridor of the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial, where names of fallen officers from all around the country are engraved.

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Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard

Jimmy Philbin, 8, of Mickleton, NJ, makes an etching of Trooper George Zimmerman at the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial in Washington, D.C.

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Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard

Perryopolis police officer Richard A. Champion’s name appears on the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — Red, white and blue wreaths adorned the front of a stage lined with uniformed law enforcement officers. Candle flames danced in the night breeze. Taps played mournfully. A sea of heads bowed.

A solemn moment Wednesday night marked the observance of two local policemen who fell in the line of duty.

Perryopolis police Officer Richard Champion and Uniontown police Officer Joseph Hackney were among 273 fallen law enforcement officers honored at a candlelight vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The officers’ names were read before an estimated 20,000 people, including surviving family members, friends and colleagues. Thousands of law enforcement officers from agencies nationwide gathered at the annual tribute and signature event of National Police Week to pay respect to the deceased.

Their names newly engraved in the memorial’s marble walls, Champion, 35, who died in December, and Hackney, 46, who died in November 1884, will be remembered among more than 20,500 of their fellow fallen officers in the nation’s capital.

“The 20,538 fallen heroes, whose names embrace us this evening, came from different states, counties and towns across America. And tonight, as we formally dedicate the names of these men and women, we honor their courage and we salute their sacrifice,” said National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund chairman and CEO Craig Floyd.

Champion was killed Dec. 14 in an automobile crash on Route 51 near Star Junction when his cruiser collided with another vehicle while trying to make a traffic stop. His name is engraved on panel 5-E of the memorial.

Hackney died from a gunshot wound he sustained on Oct. 27, 1884, after he and his partner arrested a suspect for disorderly conduct on Main Street. His assailant was convicted of second degree murder. Hackney’s name is engraved on panel 51-W.

The two officers were among 30 from Pennsylvania recognized at this year’s ceremony for their sacrifice in the line of duty.

“Each of those selfless individuals chose to help those in need and put the welfare of others above their own,” said Floyd. “Tonight we honor the courage and salute the sacrifice made by the heroes of our nation.”

Before the vigil, empty space on the memorial’s walls filled with photos and mementos of the officers, placed in remembrance by their loved ones.

Family members grafted their heroes’ etched names onto paper with pencil or crayon — souvenirs to take home with them.

Attending the vigil in support of Champion were Perryopolis police Chief Roger Beadling, Cpl. Jason Hayes and Officer Adam Russell, accompanied by members of Champion’s family, including his wife, Dawn.

Located in Judiciary Square, the memorial sits on three acres of federal park land and contains two curving 304-foot-long marble walls, on which are engraved the names of officers killed in the line of duty throughout U.S. history.

About 300 names are added each year after a review panel examines each petition for inclusion on the monument. Dedicated in 1991, the memorial has space to add names of fallen officers until the year 2050.

“Each of them chose as their life work to lead, to serve and to give,” said U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, a special guest at the vigil. “The names engraved on those walls represent the best America has to offer.”

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