THP Remembers Fallen Troopers and Officers

NASHVILLE --- In observance of National Police Week, Deputy Governor Claude Ramsey today delivered the keynote address at the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Memorial Service at the Department of Safety and Homeland Security Headquarters on Foster Avenue in Nashville. The annual ceremony honors State Troopers and other law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

 

Commissioner Bill Gibbons, THP Colonel Tracy Trott, members of the THP Command Staff, current and former State Troopers, and family members of fallen officers were also on hand for the ceremony. 

“The strength, courage, and pride displayed by all of those in a Tennessee Highway Patrol uniform is honorable,” Deputy Governor Claude Ramsey said. “Your dedication in the face of the recent and tragic loss of your colleague and friend is a testament to who you are, what you do, and why you are Tennessee’s finest.”

 

Since the establishment of the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 1929, 39 Troopers have died in the line of duty. Trooper Andy Wall was the most recent State Trooper killed after a motorcycle accident in Rutherford County. He died just 13 days ago on May 7, 2011. Sergeant Charles Hash was the first fatality on April 11, 1930, succumbing to injuries sustained on motorcycle patrol in Shelby County. 

 

“We can never repay those family members and friends who have lost someone in the line of duty,” Commissioner Gibbons said. “However, we stand united today in honoring their name, remembering their love, and paying tribute for their sacrifice. We will forever be indebted for their service.”

 

The ceremony featured a pair of time-honored traditions in the roll call of fallen officers and the laying of wreaths, where Commissioner Gibbons, Deputy Commissioner Larry Godwin and Colonel Trott rested three wreaths in front of the Memorial Monument outside the department’s headquarters. Other highlights included a 21-gun salute and flyover by THP’s Special Operations Unit, T.A.P.S played by a member of the Military Funeral Honors band of the Tennessee Army National Guard and “Amazing Grace” performed by Piper Todd Boswell. 

 

“Today, we celebrate the lives of the 39 Tennessee State Troopers we have lost, and the over 19,000 law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty,” said Colonel Tracy Trott. “They served and protected us all with tremendous courage and the utmost dedication, and they will never be forgotten.” 

 

To view all of the Tennessee Highway Patrol members who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, visit the THP Memorial page at http://state.tn.us/safety/thpmemorial/memorialmain.htm .