Page 46 - December 2018

Honoring a Hero
Boston Police Officer Jerry Ajemian at the funeral for Samuel Jimenez.
The Bond of Brotherhood
Officers from across the country travel to Chicago to honor Jimenez
■ BY DAN CAMPANA
■ PHOTOS BY H. RICK BAMMAN
Boston Police Officer Jerry Ajemian has lost friends on the job and attended more than his fair share of police funerals in his 30- year career. And it never gets easier.
“In the time I’ve been on, there’s been way too many,” he said.
Whether traveling from suburban Chicago — Waukegan, Bloomingdale and several other local departments were represent- ed — or from hundreds of miles away, there was no shortage of of- ficers like Ajemian, who made the journey to salute Officer Samuel Jimenez during funeral services on a wintry Monday morning in Des Plaines.
“What you see out here keeps you sane, the brotherhood. It makes me proud for doing what we do; we’re there for the families and to show our support for one another,” Ajemian said.
And so they did. Out-of-town officers huddled together in con- versation and filled seats in the chapel — as well as in overflow viewing areas — as Jimenez was laid to rest. Some came to the Chi- cago area as part of honor guards, some were representing other Brotherhood for the Fallen chapters, and even more were there out of sheer respect for one of their own.
“As sad as the death of a brother officer is, it is refreshing to see all this unity from all these agencies and it shows, particularly for the Chicago PD, that regardless of who you work for, we are all dressed in blue,” said Louisville Metro Police Officer John Keeling, a 29-year
46 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2018
veteran. “We all unite and support each other.”
Waiting for the services to begin, Itasca Police Officer Keith En-
dres reflected on being similar in age and experience to Jimenez, who was only 28 and had yet to reach two years on the job.
“He’s only a couple years older than I am. It just goes to show it can happen to anybody at any time of their career. There’s guys with one foot out the door and tragedy falls on them. It’s just something that’s in the back of your head,” Endres said. “You can’t let it creep in. At the end of the day, we have a job to do and you can’t let it af- fect you. It’s a horrible thing that unfortunately is a part of the job and it’s something you know going in.
“He gave his life being a hero. There’s not much more of an honor I can do to pay my respects,” added Endres, who noted that he had experienced the loss of a friend from the academy to a line-of-duty death. “It’s something you hope never happens, but when it does, we all come together and support each other.”