1 bugle, 19 heroes, 78 minutes, 218 people

By Doug Austin

Of all the military bugle calls, none is so easily recognized or more apt to bring an emotional response than taps. On May 16, this melody played so very well by Narvol Randol Jr. filled the auditorium of the Conservation Campus Nature Center, echoed across the rolling hills and surrounded the memorial to our fallen heroes.

Day is done, gone the sun,

From the hills, from the lake,

From the sky,

All is well, safely rest,

God is nigh.

As a means to ensure that any generation is never missed in the remembrance of these fallen heroes, contests involving our young people are always included in the ceremony: coloring contest for K-second grade, poem contest for third-fourth grade and essay contest for fifth-sixth grade. These winners were brought to the front to be recognized, with the winning poster displayed and the winning poem and essay being read by their respective authors.

Blake and Kyle Fields and Taylor Kight brought all attendees to a new level of remembrance of these fallen heroes with songs, "Remember When" and "All I Think About Is You."

Throughout the program we were reminded of the sacrifice of these 19 fallen heroes and our commitment to never forget.

Chief James Humphreys delivered the keynote address in a very inspirational manner. He reminded us that he was speaking from the view of a citizen, a police officer and surviving family member of one of our fallen heroes. His remarks centered on commitment, devotion, service, honor and love. Quoting from the "Love Chapter" of the Word of God, James interchanged the word "love" with the word "honor," bringing to mind the great honor that we bestowed on these fallen heroes. He reminded us in his very powerful address that "Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for a friend."

Following the keynote of chief Humphreys was the tribute to the 19 fallen officers from the Southeast Missouri area known as Officer's Last Call. Each officer's name, the department for which they served and their date of departure was called over a police radio. "10-42" was the response to each call, indicating an officer's tour of duty had ended. A single white rose was then presented for each of these officers to those families present.

During Officers Last Call, pictures of the officers and pertinent information were on the screen from a PowerPoint presentation developed by SALT member Paul Nenninger.

It is critical that we remember that these men were real people. They were neighbors, friends, cousins, brothers, uncles, fathers and husbands. It is important to maintain the honor, respect and our appreciation for these fallen heroes. It is important to remember each of these men for the way they lived, not the way they died.

Our local Seniors And Lawmen Together (SALT) Council is led by Capt. Roger Fields of the Cape Girardeau Police Department, chief James Humphreys of the Jackson Police Department and Sheriff John Jordan of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. These men are all to be congratulated for their efforts and for their positive and measurable results in our SALT program.

It is an honor for me to be a member of SALT and to work with our police officers from Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Cape Girardeau County.

Doug Austin resides in Cape Girardeau.