 | | Photo By Charissa Bernard | | Miranda Fredinburg, daughter of Marion County Deputy Kelly Fredinburg who was killed in a car accident in June, 2007, signs next to her father's name on the hood of the Drive to Remember Hummer H3 on April 30. |
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By Charissa Bernard
Even the frigid wind served a purpose in honoring fallen officers on April 30 at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training in Salem.
The officer training facility is the home of Oregon's law enforcement memorial, and on Wednesday, it was host to a ceremony honoring the lives of 190 American and Canadian officers, including Marion County Sheriff's Deputy Kelly James Fredinburg, who lost their lives on duty in 2007. On June 16, Fredinburg, 33, was killed just north of Gervais on Hwy 99E in a head-on traffic crash en route to help another officer.
Kelly's 13-year-old daughter Miranda and father Gary were present, along with other family members, friends and fellow officers to commemorate the fallen deputy, as his name is the most recently added to the law enforcement memorial.
Nearly 100 community members and cadets from the police academy joined the family, holding candles and carnations representing each of the officers who died serving their country last year.
"It is a fearful and trepidatious thing for me to come before you," said Chaplain Russ Poston, addressing the crowd. "Tonight we honor the lives of those who, for their country and for their city, said, 'here am I, send me.'"
The ceremony, organized by Mary Nunnekamp of Hillsboro, was part of the Drive to Remember 2008 tour. Mary's husband, Washington County Sheriff's Detective Randall Lee Nunnekamp, was killed while off duty, and she took pleasure and pain in coordinating the April 30 event.
"These events are bittersweet," she said. "Losing someone when you don't expect it is hard - that phone call pierces the heart in no way anyone can understand."
Marion County Sheriff Russ Isham, who took his post four months after Deputy Fredinburg's death, thanked the community for their support of the family and law enforcement involved.
Oregon State Rep. Kevin Cameron also spoke, lightening the mood with an initial, "Good ... cold evening."
"We are here to honor a man who put his life down for what he believed in," Cameron said.
The fallen deputy's father, Gary Fredinburg, agreed.
"Kelly's job wasn't a thrill to him - he had real compassion for the people he dealt with," he said. "How many people get to die doing what they love? It makes me so proud."
To conclude the ceremony, the words of "Amazing Grace," performed by singer Samantha Hooper and guitarist Bob Love, resonated through the group as they watched Gary take the hand of his granddaughter Miranda and walk to place a single white carnation against the law enforcement memorial, which freshly bears her father's name. Those in attendance followed, placing 189 red carnations against the memorial, representing the other officers who died in 2007.
"I find it healing," Gary said. "It is amazing the support we've gotten from everyone, and it makes you feel so proud and overwhelms you. You see how much the community appreciates the officers. I can't let that grief eat at me when I see how much people loved him."
After the ceremony, Gary and Miranda had the chance to sign the hood of the Drive to Remember Hummer H3, nicknamed Guardian One. The Hummer's hood memorializes all Canadian and American officers killed in 2007, listing all their names and states of service.
Guardian One is the dream of Vancouver, B.C. Police Det. Tod Catchpole, Sgt. Steve Gibson and Craig Prystay, whose brother lost his life as a police officer.
The two officers have been involved in police memorials for the past eight years, and after Sept. 11 they even stood on the street corners of Vancouver B.C., collecting $215,000, which they delivered to the NYPD.
The inspiration for the Drive to Remember came from a little girl named Allison Eales from Oklahoma.
Her father Rocky Eales was an Oklahoma Highway Patrol SWAT Team member killed in the line of duty in 1999. She wrote a touching letter to him after his death and left it beside his photograph at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in 2005.
When Catchpole read the letter, he knew something had to be done.
"We wanted to do something national that all the police departments could get involved in," said Gibson.
"We are members of the Taser Foundation, which gives grants to families of officers killed in the line of duty," said Catchpole. "They made an initial $1 million grant, plus paid administration costs for us to drive across Canada and the United States in honor of fallen heroes."
Last year was the first drive, which covered 4,000 miles through 16 states. This year's event kicked off on Wednesday, and will continue to move 5,200 more miles through 19 states.
"This event is easily five times bigger than last year," said Catchpole. "People from all over have been calling for us to come to their cities."
For these three men, this is not a job - they are still working in Canada. They volunteer their time to take this drive all the way to Washington D.C. to attend the Police Week Memorial Ceremonies in May. This is a passion through which they honor their fallen brothers.
"The car is kid of a rolling memorial," said Gibson. "The drive is like the thin blue line stretching across the country to the police memorial in D.C."
Catchpole said that Fredinburg's memory will be kept alive through the drive.
Towards the end of the ceremony, an honor guard, made up of officers from the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Salem police, Oregon State Police and U.S. Border Patrol lowered the flags to half mast, in salute of the 190 officers killed in the United States and Canada last year. As a bugler played taps, the only other sound was the flag fabric snapping in the cold April wind, boldly displaying the colors these officers stood for.
Nearly 100 community members and cadets from the police academy joined the family, holding candles and carnations representing each of the officers who died serving their country last year.
"It is a fearful and trepidatious thing for me to come before you," said Chaplain Russ Poston, addressing the crowd. "Tonight we honor the lives of those who, for their country and for their city, said, 'here am I, send me.'"
The ceremony, organized by Mary Nunnekamp of Hillsboro, was part of the Drive to Remember 2008 tour. Her husband, Washington County Sheriff's Detective Randall Lee Nunnekamp, was killed while off duty.
"These events are bittersweet," she said. "Losing someone when you don't expect it is hard - that phone call pierces the heart in no way anyone can understand."
Marion County Sheriff Russ Isham, who took his post four months after Deputy Fredinburg's death, thanked the community for its support of the family and law enforcement involved.
Oregon State Rep. Kevin Cameron also spoke, lightening the mood with an initial, "Good ... cold evening."
"We are here to honor a man who put his life down for what he believed in," Cameron said.
The fallen deputy's father, Gary Fredinburg, agreed.
"Kelly's job wasn't a thrill to him - he had real compassion for the people he dealt with," he said. "How many people get to die doing what they love? It makes me so proud."
To conclude the ceremony, the words of "Amazing Grace," performed by singer Samantha Hooper and guitarist Bob Love, resonated through the group as they watched Gary take the hand of his granddaughter Miranda and walk to place a single white carnation against the law enforcement memorial, which freshly bears her father's name.
Those in attendance followed, placing 189 red carnations against the memorial, representing the other officers who died in 2007.
"I find it healing," Gary said. "It is amazing the support we've gotten from everyone, and it makes you feel so proud and overwhelms you. You see how much the community appreciates the officers. I can't let that grief eat at me when I see how much people loved him."
After the ceremony, Gary and Miranda had the chance to sign the hood of the Drive to Remember Hummer H3, nicknamed Guardian One.
The Hummer's hood memorializes all Canadian and American officers killed in 2007, listing all their names and states of service.
Guardian One is the dream of Vancouver, B.C. Police Det. Tod Catchpole, Sgt. Steve Gibson and Craig Prystay, whose brother lost his life as a police officer.
The two officers have been involved in police memorials for the past eight years, and after Sept. 11, they even stood on the street corners of Vancouver B.C., collecting $215,000, which they delivered to the NYPD.
The inspiration for the Drive to Remember came from a little girl named Allison Eales from Oklahoma.
Her father Rocky Eales was an Oklahoma Highway Patrol SWAT Team member killed in the line of duty in 1999. She wrote a touching letter to him after his death and left it beside his photograph at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in 2005.
When Catchpole read the letter, he knew something had to be done.
"We wanted to do something national that all the police departments could get involved in," said Gibson.
"We are members of the Taser Foundation, which gives grants to families of officers killed in the line of duty," said Catchpole.
"They made an initial $1 million grant, plus paid administration costs for us to drive across Canada and the United States in honor of fallen heroes."
Last year was the first drive, which covered 4,000 miles through 16 states. This year's event kicked off on Wednesday, and will continue to move 5,200 more miles through 19 states.
"This event is easily five times bigger than last year," said Catchpole. "People from all over have been calling for us to come to their cities."
For these three men, this is not a job - they are still working in Canada. They volunteer their time to take this drive all the way to Washington D.C. to attend the Police Week Memorial Ceremonies in May.
This is a passion through which they honor their fallen brothers.
"The car is kid of a rolling memorial," said Gibson.
"The drive is like the thin blue line stretching across the country to the police memorial in D.C."
Catchpole said that Fredinburg's memory will be kept alive through the drive.
Toward the end of the ceremony, an honor guard, made up of officers from the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Salem police, Oregon State Police and U.S. Border Patrol lowered the flags to half mast, in salute of the 190 officers killed in the United States and Canada last year.
As a bugler played taps, the only other sound was the flag fabric snapping in the cold April wind, boldly displaying the colors these officers stood for.
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