Remembering fallen law enforcement

Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) – If there is one place in which fallen law enforcement officers are always remembered and honored it’s Guadalupe County. In a long-standing tradition, the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office this month held its annual Memorial Ceremony in honor of those officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community.

The ceremony brought together not only sheriff’s deputies and employees but also officers with the Seguin Police Department. It also welcomed retired officers who continue to support and who continue to be a part of their law enforcement families.

Providing messages and reminders to his fellow colleagues was Joshua Ray, chief deputy for the sheriff’s office. Having come on board last year after serving for years as a Texas Ranger, Ray shared his own experiences of having to be on the front lines of many of those losses and why often times the shift of a public servant never ends.

“They are public servants all the way through, right? They give and give and give and give and a lot of that is giving their time. I have seen them work 12hour shifts and then afterwards go to an event that the sheriff’s office needs to be at or go to another security job or on their days off, they are working security jobs. They just give and give and give. Well, when they are doing all that giving, there is a family on the other end of it because they are not home. They are missing baseball games or band (concerts) or what not, so we do need to be reminded because in our profession, they’ll give and give so much that they’ll sacrifice their own personal wellness. So, I think that it’s important for those of us that are administrators and leaders in the profession to continually not only tell them but force them to take care of themselves and their families,” said Ray.

Remembering, pg. 3