Page 38 - May 2017 Newsletter

Chicago FOP #7 Memorial Service
Words of Honor
FOP Memorial provides inspiration for all officers and their families
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
Shelly Perez came to the annual Lodge 7 Memorial Ser- vice on May 2 to hear the words. She has come practically every year since her husband, Ben, was lost when struck by a commuter train while on a stakeout in 2002 to be comforted by the words that Chicago FOP President Kev- in Graham spoke on behalf of every member, every officer and everybody who lives in the City.
“We can never forget,” the new Lodge 7 president exclaimed, recalling the 513 Chicago Police Officers whose names are inscribed on the wall of the east side of the Lodge for having made the ultimate sacrifice. “And never let it fade from our memories what they have done, these honored women and men who gave their lives for this city.”
“Never forget” echoed throughout this afternoon and conveyed the message that, first and foremost, brought hundreds to the FOP hall. Then, in making the invoca- tion, Chicago Police Chaplain Rabbi Moshe Wolf made the statement that gave this memorial service reason to celebrate:
“Thank God, we’re not adding another name to the wall,” Rabbi Moshe declared, reminding how no Chicago Police Officers were lost in the line of duty in 2016, the fifth consecutive year the city can commemorate such importance. Throughout this event, similar words of in- spiration were spoken words that all Chicago Police Offi- cers can take as reinforcement of why they keep going out there every day.
Certainly, nobody was more encouraging than Graham in presiding over his first function of this magnitude as Lodge 7 president. He provided perspective reverberating his conviction for the voice of the members.
“These over 500 officers showed the true cost required in enforcing our system of justice,” President Graham ser- monized. “Their lives were shattered through an untimely death that was unfair, but not one of them froze that day knowing that it might be their last. Let the memorial be a reminder, a light in the tunnel of a darkness we can never surrender to, that we gather every spring to remember.”
Additional watchwords such as “selfless, dedication, unwavering commitment and gratitude” laced the re- marks from a certain Chicago mayor. In a truly heartfelt plea, Mayor Emanuel offered perhaps as strong a mes- sage of support from the city as Chicago Police Officers have heard lately.
“Today, we come together to honor the service and the
sacrifice of the men and women who make up the finest police department in the U.S.,” the mayor asserted. “The officers we remember today and every day also shared a common dedication to service. Just as the men and wom- en who make up the department today put duty ahead of danger. They put our security above their own safety. They risk their own lives so we can live our lives. Chicago is safer and Chicago is stronger because of their service.”
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson focused his words on being strong and staying strong, his way of counterpointing the national narrative on policing. The public would certainly be well-served to hear Superinten- dent Johnson’s comments, but these aren’t the verses that
38 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2017