Page 44 - May 2017 Newsletter

Members of the CPD Honor Guard outside the Cathedral of The Immacu- late Conception, where they escorted family members into the service on Memorial Day.
FOR THE ‘GRACE’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43
submitted CPD Officer Michael Prohaska, who was part of the Department’s honor guard detail at Memorial Day. “They know when we’re standing there, wherever that might be that there is a police officer in a uniform, they have family there. That is the core of what we do.”
A cold and rainy Thursday moved the memorial cere- mony indoors to the State Library rather than in front of the State Capital, where it is usually held. Nearby is the State Law Enforcement Memorial, where the names of all Illinois Officers lost in the line of duty, including more than 500 Chicago Police Officers, are enshrined. As a re- sult, officers filled all four floors of the library, forming a
virtual wall of blue that added a special significance to the event.
“It actually makes you feel good that all these coppers unite in one day,” Murray noted. “I think we have the toughest job in the world, and it’s great that we all stand together, especially to remember the fallen.”
The ceremony featured the state’s top elected officials speaking, including Governor Rauner, Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Secretary of State Jesse White. On his way in, Gov. Rauner stopped to greet Graham, congratu- late him on being elected and offer any assistance if need- ed.
The part of the ceremony that resonates loudest, of course, came when each of the honorees lost in the line of duty in 2016 were presented. A prolonged moment of silence remembered and honored Marion County Cor- rectional Officer Adam Conrad (End of Watch: Jan. 20, 2106); South Jacksonville Police Department Senior Pa- trolman Francis Fitzgerald (End of Watch: March 4, 2016); Cook County Sheriff’s Police Officer Jason Gallero (End of Watch: Sept. 15, 2016); and Chester Police Officer James Brockmeyer (End of Watch: Nov. 28, 2016).
And even amidst the silence, the bond that stretched through this day rang loud and clear. The camaraderie among officers exudes the family feeling that each person who has lost a loved one in the line of duty knew when they were on the job. Jim Rybolt, who as part of his as- signment to headquarters is the Department liaison to families of fallen officers, attended his 16th Police Officers Memorial Day and related how all officers should come
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44 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2017