A NEW DAY

 

Those of us in the Pacific Northwest, if we were able, spent most of yesterday glued to our televisions.  The coverage of the 4 Lakewood officers started shortly after 9am and continued until after 5pm.  The procession was so long that the service actually started an hour late.  It was a very long day for the families & friends of the fallen officers as well as the thousands of fire and law enforcement personnel who traveled in from across the continent. There were over 700 Royal Canadian Mounted Police in their red uniforms as well as several hundred officers from north of the border.   The runway at Mc Chord Air Force Base was the staging area for the over 2,000 vehicles that formed the procession.  There were approximately 347 agencies were represented in the procession.

It was a very cold day, I doubt if it ever got much above freezing but yet thousands lined the streets as the procession slowly made it’s way the 10 miles from Mc Chord to the Tacoma Dome.  I stayed home….I wasn’t brave enough to be out there with the others.

The pictures I’ve included were taken off my television. The quality is not great but will give you an idea of the magnitude of yesterday’s events.

 

Above the procession vehicles are lined up waiting for it start.

As the vehicles left Mc Chord they all drove under an arch provided by the Lakewood and University Place fire departments.

The procession traveled from Mc Chord Air Force base to the Lakewood Police department where it met up with the 4 white hearses carrying the fallen officers. 

Above the hearses pull up in front of the Tacoma Dome.  After the vehicles carrying the families arrived , the caskets were moved  one by one into the Dome.

The service lasted about three hours.  The local paper described it  best “a ceremony to honor the fallen is steeped in tradition and symbolism.”    There was a riderless horse that accompanied the lead vehicle towards the end of the procession, there were bagpipes that played “Amazing Grace” and a 21-bell salute as officers knelt near the caskets.  At the end of the service the tears fell as the “last call” came across the Dome’s P.A. system. (The following is quoted out of today’s local paper)  A dispatcher’s voice, authentic right down to the static, called out for each of the officers in turn, asking for their location.  Getting only silence, in response, the dispatcher said “Out of service. Gone but not forgotten.” 

For more coverage and or pictures of this event please visit; http://www.thenewstribune.com/topstory/story/983539.html

I saw a great coming together in my community since this horrific thing happened the morning of November 29th.  I hope that continues.  I hope we can remember that like our military our law enforcement and fire personnel put their lives on the line everyday as they report to duty.   I realize some folks have a distorted view of cops. Yes, I agree there are some bad ones, but there are also bad electricians, doctors, pilots, handymen, teachers…..there are some bad people in every walk of life.  But on the whole, these officers are good people who happen to have chosen law enforcement for their profession.  And when I sat and really thought about it, I don’t know why anyone would want to be a cop. It’s a very dangerous, stressful job.  More than often they have to deal with the scum of the earth on a daily basis. 

Like our men and women in the military, the police and fire personnel deserve our thanks for all that they do.

I pray that the families and friends of these 4 people can begin the healing process and that they can all find a little sliver of joy in the coming holiday season. 

Tina, Mark, Ron and Greg……may you all rest in peace.  Thank you for your dedication to Lakewood, my home town.

Tina, I will especially miss you this next spring and summer. You drove thru the park almost daily and waved and smiled as you cruised by my house.  

And Greg, your birthday is the same as mine~every year from now on, I will say a special prayer for the family you left behind.

A Day of Tribute

 

I took a couple pictures from the TV, that I wanted to share with you.  (You can see my little Christmas tree in the reflection of my front window)

The picture above shows the huge contingent of police and fire vehicles lined up on the runway at Mc Chord Air Force Base that will be in the procession, thru the city of Lakewood and on to the Tacoma Dome for the memorial service.   There was also another area of hundreds of vehicles parked in an “over flow” area that will file in behind these vehicles. 

As the vehicles leave Mc Chord they all drive under this huge flag draped across the street by the Lakewood and University Place fire departments.   (This is just a few blocks from where my son lives.)

All of these vehicles have met up with the four hearses waiting at the Lakewood Police Department. I understand from the TV reporters that there are hundreds & hundreds of folks lining the streets along the procession route. It’s showing just 23* on my thermometer at this moment.  Those are brave folks.   I can’t get out to the route as the streets are blocked. So I’m home~watching this unfold on the television.

Memorial

The Tacoma Dome here in Tacoma, WA will be the scene of the memorial for the 4 Lakewood police officers that were gunned down on Sunday November 29th.

Our local newspaper reports that approximately 20,000 law enforcement personnel from across the USA are expected to come to this memorial service. Local hotels and filling up and are also offering substantial discounts to those coming from out of town. And some of those coming into town will stay with local officers and their families. Alaska Airlines is offering reduced fare for those flying in from other parts of the country. Costco donated all the food that a local vocational school culinary class is using for the refreshments for the reception after the service.

They are expecting about 1,500 emergency vehicles to participate in the three hour procession and that doesn't include the family’s motorcade and Lakewood police and emergency vehicles. The procession will travel down South Tacoma Way (about 5 blocks from my house) to the Tacoma Dome starting at 10am Tuesday morning. The service starts at 1pm.

Since the Tacoma Dome (pictured above) only holds about 20,000 people, several large churches and other places will be open for people to come and watch the proceedings via a live feed. It will also be broadcast on one of Seattle’s TV stations.

I will be at home…watching and sending out prayers of peace and comfort for the family and friends of the 4 people who were lost.

I believe there are at least 6 people in jail now….charged with various crimes involving this shooting. All are family members or friends with close ties to the alleged shooter, Maurice Clemmons. I understand some who are close friends of these 6 people were in one of the court hearings last week wearing T-shirts that say “Free So & So” the “so & so” being the name of one of the defendants. I guess they feel these folks who aided a cold blood murderer should not be held accountable for what they did. This mentality boggles my mind.

There will be continuous online coverage of the procession and memorial service at; thenewstribune.com

December 7, 1941

It's been 68 years but we should never forget. Pausing to remember those who lost their lives that sunny Sunday morning.

Mrs Miracle........

..........will be shown on the Hallmark Channel on the following days;

Saturday December 5th at 8pm
Sunday December 6th at 8pm
Friday December 11th at 8pm
Wednesday December 16th at 8pm
Thursday December 17th at 2pm
Thursday December 24th at 6pm
Friday December 25th at 12n
Monday December 28th at 8pm
Tuesday December 29th at 2pm

this is according to the Hallmark Channel's web site. I hope everyone out there gets a chance to watch it.

One of My Favorite Authors

A book by one of my favorite authors (Debbie Macomber ) has been made into a Hallmark Movie. Debbie lives just about 15 miles from me and regularly comes to speak to our Reader's Group. She's a delightful lady and her books are uplifting and fun. I hope you will all get a chance to watch "Mrs Miracle." The book was re-issued December 1st so if you wish to purchase it, it should be in your local bookstore or perhaps even Target.

Clouds with filtered sun

 

The sky this morning has reflected the mood here in Lakewood, Tacoma and all of Pierce County…

Yes, we woke up to the news that the suspected shooter in the deaths of 4 Lakewood Police officers this past Sunday, was no longer a threat to society.  A Seattle officer investigating a possible stolen vehicle was confronted with Maurice Clemmons a little after 2:30 this morning.  Shots were fired and Mr. Clemmons was shot and killed.  Apparently some of his family and friends  have been driving him from place to place allowing him to allude the police who were searching for him. His sister, apparently was the one that drove him to Seattle and helped him bandage the wound that occurred when one of the Lakewood officers shot him, before falling ~ mortally wounded himself. There are 3 people in custody now for helping him and more are being questioned.

About 8 hours after Mr. Clemmons was pronounced dead in Seattle….a somber procession delivered the four fallen Lakewood police officers from the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s  office to Mountain View Cemetery.   Mt View is about  a mile from my house and it’s where my parents, grand mother, great grand parents, other relatives and friends are buried.   When I heard that they were taking the officers there, I got myself together and went  about 5 blocks over to South Tacoma Way, the main drag thru this part of town.  There were other people waiting and a motorcycle officer at each entry to the main street.   There were also many news helicopters in the air over this area. 

Soon a group of motorcycle officers came around the corner of South 84th and South Tacoma Way heading in the direction of the cemetery.  Following was the procession of 4 Lakewood Aid Units and then at least a hundred police vehicles from different local agencies.  All driven of course by law enforcement officers but many of them containing non-law enforcement passengers~I would suspect they were the families of the slain officers.

Even though Mr. Clemmons is dead, this doesn’t make this whole tragic affair any easier.  Nine children have lost their parents, families have lost their husbands, their wife, brothers, sister, fathers, mother, uncles, an aunt.  And now another family has lost someone who was no doubt loved and will be missed. He may even have children….I don’t know.

In our local paper today there’s a rundown of Mr. Clemmon’s history with the criminal justice system.  In 1999, at age 27, while in an Arkansas prison, he applied for clemency of his 108 year sentence. The clemency application is a seven-page form.  One question reads, “What is your reason for requesting executive clemency at this time?”  Maurice Clemmons answered with a single word; “Mercy.”