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Officers Conrad Gary and Eduardo Marmolejo: “They wanted to be The Police”
We Salute You
From the moment he came on the Department,
Conrad Gary showed that he would be one of the City’s greatest peacekeepers
■ BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
■ PHOTOGRAPHY BY H. RICK BAMMAN
At the call of “ten-hut,” Chicago Police Officers, from command staff on down, stretched toward the heavens and pushed their chests out with distinction when the casket carrying Conrad Gary passed into St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel. At “present arms,” they each formed the perfect isosceles triangle, from shoulder to elbow to head.
No expression, no gesture, no measure of reverence could have been more appropriate to honor Chicago Police Officer Conrad Gary. An impeccable salute not only praised Gary in a manner he would have loved – and overwhelmingly earned – but it presented the picture to emphasize the thousands of words that emanated about the powerful impression and impact he made on the Depart- ment, the City and the world.
Some of the tributes from those who had the privilege of cross- ing paths with Gary in his 18 months on the job would have been praise above and beyond even for a 30-year veteran who climbed the highest ranks of the Department:
“He was a natural.”
30 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JANUARY 2019