CRESTVIEW— Residents honored law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty this week during the Crestview Police Department’s fifth annual Law Enforcement Memorial and Recognition Ceremony.
Thursday's ceremony began with the posting of colors, followed by the pledge of allegiance, the National Anthem sung by the Davidson Middle School A Cappella Panthers, an opening prayer by Chaplain Edwin Stallworth and a welcome by Chief Tony Taylor.
In total, nine police officers were killed in the line of duty in Okaloosa County; their photographs were displayed on stage. All except one died by gunfire.
“These ceremonies are significant, not only to law enforcement officers but to the communities we serve,” Taylor said. “They give us a chance to reflect on the lives and the passing of those great men and women who have given their all, and to appreciate those officers who continue to serve.”
Mayor David Cadle then spoke, proclaiming Police Officer’s Week 2017.
Taylor read the names of the nine Okaloosa County officers killed in the line of duty – dating back to 1921 until the latest in 2015 – along with their end-of-watch dates, the day they died.
“Six of the nine officers killed in the line of duty in Okaloosa County were killed in or around Crestview,” Taylor said. “I want to recognize and thank the surviving family members of those law enforcement officers who have given their lives in the direct service of their community.
“The family members of those fathers, grandfathers, uncles, husbands, sons, brothers and sisters continue to experience the pain of their loved ones being senselessly and brutally ripped from their lives. It’s not something that goes away.”
Sheriff John Monroe Summerlin, Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: Jan. 21, 1921
Les Wilson, Crestview Police Department
End of Watch: March 15, 1940
Buster Adams, Crestview Police Department
End of Watch: March 26, 1974
Kenneth Baldwin, Okaloosa Airport Police
End of Watch: Sept. 11, 1987
Ray Lynn Barnes, Fish and Wildlife Commission
End of Watch: Nov. 21, 1987
Anthony E. Forgione, Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: July 22, 2008
Warren Keith "Skip" York, Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: April 25, 2009
Burton "Burt" Lopez, Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: April 25, 2009
William J. Myers, Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: Sept. 22, 2015
REMEMBERING THE FALLEN
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview residents remember Okaloosa's fallen officers (PHOTOS)