Page 37 - December 2018

Honoring a Hero
ters and brothers described him as being very good with peo- ple in the community, with an ability to relate to everybody he encountered.
And they loved him because he like to have fun. Zambra- no related that he has great keepsakes – videos of he and Sam having fun in the squad car. The only routine part of the day, he said, was starting it with that coffee. And the best part was the way the adventure could take them anywhere.
The most fitting epitaphs to his time in 002 came from a couple of officers who talked about what he gave them.
“He was one of those guys, you didn’t have to know him. He made you feel welcome,” Officer Jackie Ho emphasized. “We were always joking around, and it made me feel better about working, seeing how good of an officer he came to be and the knowledge that he had.”
And as she showed a picture on her phone of Sam flashing that ear-to-ear grin, Officer Maria De La Mora added: “We have a great group of people, and Sam was at the hub of all that.”

As the 002 brethren prepared to pay respects to Crystal and the family, De La Mora considered Sam’s legacy, his request for what he would want them to carry forward. “Just continue to smile and go out with your best face and your best aspiration to do the job we signed up to do.”
Miguel Guerrero, another of Sam’s best buds from 002,
magnified such a sentiment to declare what Jimenez had be- queathed to him, the district, the Department, the city and, of course, his family.
“He opened up my eyes to find light in a million ways,” Guerrero expressed. “Being next to him was a gift from God.”
When the mayor concluded his remarks at the funeral with, “A hero who answered the call to serve,” the definition was complete. Many of the descriptions that define a hero con- tained here are taken from famous sayings. And here is anoth- er one: Samuel Jimenez showed that true heroism is remark- ably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at what- ever cost.
He showed that hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the hero within us is revealed.
He showed that to be heroic does not have to mean possess- ing the ability to stand against the evils of the world, but just that one is willing to stand.
His glass wasn’t just half full. It overflowed. He didn’t just live for the moment. He lived for every moment. And to per- petuate that as Sam’s legacy, there is an opportunity to fulfill the order the superintendent handed down after the funeral.
“Hug your loved ones and say a prayer to Officer Jimenez,” he implored.
And that way, you will see true heroes every day.
Our condolences to the family and friends of Samuel Jimenez
and to our community mourning a true hero.
Rest in peace, Officer Jimenez. You will never be forgotten.
J. Harris Academy of Police Training Jim Harris, Allen Bloodgood and Phil Rizzo
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ DECEMBER 2018 37
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