[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
[May 15, 2004]
[Pages 889-891]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at the Peace Officers Memorial Service
May 15, 2004
Thank you all very much. I'm so very honored to join all of you in
paying respects--our respects to our Nation's fallen law enforcement
officers. Every year on this day, we pause to remember the sacrifice and
faithful services of officers lost in the line of duty throughout our
Nation's history. And we add to the National Law Enforcement Officers
Memorial the names of men and women lost in the past year as well as
some who fell in the line of duty in other times. They accepted the hard
responsibilities of a great and essential calling.
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Our fallen officers died in service to justice and in defense of
the innocent. They will never be forgotten by their comrades. They will
never be forgotten by their country. And today, in the presence of so
many families and friends they loved, our Nation pays tribute in pride
and in gratitude.
I appreciate Chuck Canterbury's leadership and his friendship. I also want to thank Aliza
Clark. I appreciate Jim Pasco as the executive director of the Fraternal Order of the
Police, who has worked hard to make this a special event for those who
grieve.
I want to thank my friend the Attorney General, John
Ashcroft. He's doing a great job on behalf of
the American people. I appreciate FBI Director Mueller, other members of my administration. I want to thank
Duke Cunningham and other Members
of Congress who have joined us.
I also thank all the family members who have come to Washington for
this service. For each of you, there is a name on the National Law
Enforcement Officers Memorial that will always stand apart. You feel the
hurt and loss and separation, but I hope you don't feel alone. A lot of
people are praying for you, and you can know today that our Nation will
always remember the one you loved.
They were among the more than 800,000 men and women who serve as
officers of the law in the United States. On the wall are the names of
U.S. marshals and county sheriffs, deputies, State patrolmen, municipal
police, Federal agents, Coast Guard officials and others who are in the
business of protecting their fellow citizens. America's men and women in
law enforcement carry different responsibilities and serve different
jurisdictions. Yet in all of those jobs, we look for the same basic
qualities of character, for personal discipline, alertness of mind, and
courage. Our country and our neighborhoods depend on such people, and
fortunately for us all, they keep coming forward.
We look for people like Sergeant Jason Pratt of the Omaha Police Department. He was shot last
September at the age of 30, while helping a fellow officer pursue a
suspect. A colleague said of Sergeant Pratt, ``He was always willing to
step up and take the point.'' And when he died, more than 20 police
officers were at the hospital with him. As the mayor of the city put it,
``Omaha lost one of its protectors, but his family lost much more.''
These same words are true in every community, every time an officer of
the law is taken from us.
When the innocent need defending, we look for people like Trooper
Nik Green of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, who
was shot and killed by a drug dealer resisting arrest. He died on the
morning after Christmas on a stretch of highway just over a mile from
his home, where he left behind a wife and three young daughters. This
good man was also a youth pastor at First Baptist Church, where hundreds
of his fellow State troopers came to pay their final respects. The
pastor said of Trooper Green, ``He set a standard that we're left
challenged by. We're going to hurt for a long, long time.''
To bring help in desperate hours, we look for people like Patrick
Hardesty of the Tucson Police
Department. He was shot and killed by a fleeing suspect in a hit and
run. Officer Hardesty had seen danger before, during his 20 years as a
United States marine. He is survived by his wife, their three children,
and comrades who say they thought of him more as a brother than a
friend. A colleague said of Officer Hardesty, ``Even before he became a
good cop, he was a really good man.''
These are the characteristics we honor today, really good men.
These officers and the others we recognize at this service reported to
work not knowing that the day would bring the end of their watch. In the
words of a colleague of one fallen officer, ``We all take it for granted
that they will come back home safe and sound after their shift. Then one
day, they don't.'' That is
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a part of the heroism of law enforcement, knowing that the most routine
calls can turn suddenly violent. In the worst of moments, that is the
heroism that faces danger and risks all for the safety of strangers. And
in every moment, our country is in debt to the men and women in patrol
cars, on bikes, and on foot, and standing post, and we must never take
them for granted.
The nearness to danger inspires a special loyalty among those who
carry a shield and enforce the law. And when one is lost, the family
left behind is cared for and held close by the brotherhood of law
enforcement. In the memorial and in countless acts of love and kindness,
the fallen are remembered and honored. And this afternoon, on behalf of
all Americans, I offer the respect of a grateful nation. Their calling
in life was to keep the peace, and we pray they have found the peace in
the Almighty God.
May God bless you all.
Note: The President spoke at 12:46 p.m. on the West Grounds at the
U.S. Capitol. In his remarks, he referred to Chuck Canterbury, national
president, and James O. Pasco, Jr., executive director, National
Fraternal Order of Police; and Aliza Clark, president, National
Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary. The Peace Officers Memorial Day and
Police Week proclamation of May 7 is listed in Appendix D at the end of
this volume.