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Published on Wednesday, June 30, 2004
in the Lake City Reporter
Dark skies and rain didn't deter more than 100 people from attending a ceremony to honor Columbia County's fallen public service workers who died in the line of duty.
Tuesday evening the Third Annual Columbia County Memorial Celebration of Life was held at Lake DeSoto where local residents didn't mind getting wet to pay homage to local heroes who had given their lives while on duty.
Mike Burroughs, Florida Highway Patrol Troop B, public information officer said more than 15 FHP troopers and members of Troop B FHP Auxiliary attended the ceremony. He said the ceremony allowed closure following the death of FHP Trooper Sgt. Andy Brown earlier in the year.
"For us, it's still a sad day to rehash the death of Sgt. Brown all over again; however, it is the proper thing to do to honor him," Burroughs said. "It's also part of the healing process for troopers as we still mourn the loss of Sgt. Andy Brown."
Burroughs said troopers are still waiting on closure in the case, even though charges have been filed.
"To bring closure to Sgt. Brown's death would expedite that healing process for Troop B and all the troopers and their families," he said. "He's still sadly missed."
Columbia County Sheriff Frank Owens said he was not surprised by the amount of people in attendance and actually expected the number to continue to grow.
"It's a solemn moment - a moment of honor and reverence, a moment when kids and grandkids will have a moment of history in learning about their fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers who were here in this profession and gave the ultimate sacrifice. The ceremony is something to help them understand that we as a community appreciate the sacrifice that those individuals made."
Owens said he believed the importance of having a public-safety memorial to honor the fallen heroes is worthwhile as people come from several states to pay homage to their fallen relatives and friends.
"Since putting the public safety memorial up, we've added two names," he said. "I'm just glad people came out. The storm gave us a little bit of a fright, but people came out."
At the end of the ceremony, FHP Troop B Commander Rick Carpenter unveiled the public safety memorial with the names Charles B. Stafford, a police officer from Columbia County who was killed in Miami Springs in 1991, and FHP Trooper Sgt. Andy Brown who was killed earlier in the year.