Remembering The Fallen
Tuesday 8th Demember 2009 ~ Funeral For Four Heroes
On the 29th November 2009 Four officers from the Lakewood Police Department in the USA were killed as they sat in a coffee shop in Parkland.
Today in Tacoma unprecedented tens of thousands of Police officers from all over the USA, Canada, and Overseas showed up for the funeral for the 4 Slain Police officers from the Tacoma Suburb of Lakewood. Over 20,000 Police officers arrived for the funeral. 1000 Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers dressed in their read uniforms formed a massive sea of red. Over 100 officers attended from New York, and another 100 from Boston. All hotels in Tacoma were fully booked and the overflow officers were invited into the homes of local officers. Mc Chord Air Force Base offered their base as a staging area for over 1000 Police vehicles that would form a procession from Lakewood to the Tacoma Dome. An amazing 3000 vehicles showed up from all over the USA and the procession took 4 hours to wind their way to the Tacoma Dome with the streets lined with thousands of folks waving American flags along the way... All in weather that was sunny but around 20f degrees. The photos below shows the procession as they picked up the 4 white hearses in Lakewood.
3000 Police vehicles staged at Mc Chord Air Force Base as the procession starts
The Local TV coverage of the funeral lasted for over 6 hours
Notice the faces as the officers passed by...
The funeral procession was 10 miles long and took 4 hours to get all the vehicles to the Tacoma Dome
Arriving at the Tacoma Dome
Moving the caskets inside
Royal Canadian Mounted Police march from the parking area in a sea of red
At ease before the start of the march
Inside the Tacoma Dome
Police officer badges left from all over the USA
Inside ~ Thank you Canada for your respect, and also to the other officers from over 275 cities who attended from all over the USA
The 3 courageous children of slain officer, Greg Richards, speak in his memory. Gavin (10), Jami-Mae (15), Austin (17)
This was a funeral that not only honoured the memory and courage of the 4 fallen officers, but to honour all law enforcement officers, fireman, paramedics, and military police from the whole USA who serve to protect.