Page 25 - June2020 FOP Magazine

was originally inspired by St. Jude Thaddeus, globally recognized as the patron saint of hope.
One of the opening lines of the video reminds, “St. Jude gives us all hope while we engage in the challenging work of law enforce- ment.” The rest of the video plays like a walk through an actual parade, with some images showing how the march used to pass by some of the city’s proudest landmarks. It crescendos with Father Dan’s benediction and roll call of honor, a 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps.”
And the footage of a single honor guard member walking in front of the memorial wearing a black facemask will last until the first Sunday of May 2021.
“We knew we had to do something to honor our fallen,” notes Deputy Chief Daniel Godsel, the president of the St. Jude Police League of Chicago. “We knew there would be no substitute for the actual march, but we came up with a pretty powerful way to honor the tradition. Using some of the historical footage, we were able to reflect on our history.”
Godsel works in the training division, and he has the opportuni- ty to provide parting words to recruits before they head off to their cycles. His speech always includes the importance of participating in the march and features words like these:
“I implore them to wear the uniform with pride like the women and men before us who have died wearing the uniform,” Godsel shares. “We have the greatest police department in the world, and you can see that in the faces of the officers marching.”
If there is any truth to the adage that you don’t know what you’ve got 'til it’s gone, then the video furthered the significance of the march. The truth is, though, Chicago Police Officers realized how much they missed not being able to march this year.
“You hear from the bosses all the way to the officers on the street, ‘Thanks for doing this,’” Ostrowski emphasizes. “Missing it this year made me appreciate that even more. I hope others realize how important it is to us, knowing that we are representing every single member of the Chicago Police Department, because our fallen members absolutely deserve the best.”
Chicago Police Officers absolutely deserve a day like this. The anticipation they get from putting the finishing touches on their uniforms as they walk toward the site of the march is unlike any other celebration on the job.
The muster before the start is like a family reunion filled with an addictive camaraderie. Officers who haven’t seen each other in, well, a year hug and reminisce about the time they worked togeth- er or about going to the academy together. When the procession commences and you first walk past the spectators, a sense of why you are out there wafts through the ranks.
Godsel asked graphic arts to devote a prominent portion of the video to showing officers passing by the recruits holding the plac- ards with names and images of the fallen. He says that’s when the meaning of the St. Jude Police March slams home.
To further capture this emotion, let’s go to the video. From the black-and-white images dating back to perhaps the first march to the footage of the precision marching, every officer participating seems to be wearing some kind of smile.
Perhaps this is an expression of pride. It is certainly an expres- sion of honor to confirm that there’s no way any of the 590 and their family members will ever be forgotten.
And it’s an expression of why the Department is filled with so many officers who have made this march over and over again.
“It strengthens all of us,” Ostrowski assures. “It reminds us that we’ve got each other’s backs. It reminds us to stay perfect, stay true to the cause. That’s why we’re here.”
The video includes the statement, “We look forward to seeing you next year on the first Sunday in May to continue our tradition.”
Chicago Police Officers will be there.
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