A Memorial Day to Remember

Today is a day when we remind ourselves of those men and women in military uniform who've died in defense of our freedom. To be honest, I find it hard to say "Happy Memorial Day," since that's not what this day is supposed to be about. First observed in 1868 as Decoration Day, was a day of reconciliation between Northern and Southern armies; Congress declared it an official federal holiday in 1971. It is truly meant to be one of remembrance of our fallen soldiers, airmen/women, sailors and Marines.

However, even as I thought of friends who are in the military and in harm's way as well as reflecting on those lives that have been lost, I turned my attention to the fact that we aren't just fortunate in this country to have a military defending our freedoms, but also a cadre of veterans who continue their public service as police officers, firefighters and fulfilling other vital roles in government and society.

And I think of this because of the actions taken today by one Sgt. Matthew Brannock, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a Virginia State Trooper who his and his colleagues actions may have saved the lives of many, many people.

According to the Virginia State Police and news reports, Franklin County Deputy Sheriff Jonathan Agee allegedly shot and killed his ex-wife at a Sheetz gas station in Roanoke around 11:30 a.m. today. Agee then fled and Sgt. Brannock pursued him all along 460 and onto I-81 North. When Sgt. Brannock stopped him, the deputy shot him in the leg then drove off. About ten miles later, Agee was surrounded by Virginia State Troopers and eventually shot and wounded.

Thankfully, Sgt. Brannock's injuries are not considered life threatening; although, Agee's wounds are more serious.

So, what's the tie in here? Well, my family and I were on our way back from Abingdon after attending a play at the Barter Theater when around 3:30 we got a call from another family who was with us, telling us to avoid the area between Exits 118 and 128 on I-81 North. Sure enough we soon saw a back up of cars. Without knowing what had happened, we took a detour around the scene. We took a "scenic" two hour route to get around the 10-mile back up, taking a circuitous route that put us back on I-81 after Roanoke. Got home around 11 tonight.

Despite listening to the radio for updates, I wasn't aware what had happened till the early evening after seeing a post on Facebook. When Kerry and I started digging into what happened we were just shocked.

But then when I saw the background of Sgt. Brannock, I had this thought: here is a man who has dedicated his life to serving his country, the Commonwealth and his community. He's a veteran who served honorably and took the same level of dedication to his job while in one uniform and applied it to another job here in Virginia. And for that I'm grateful on this Memorial Day because as we certainly need to remember those lives lost, we should also use this time to remember those who've come home from their military service, continuing to serve and protect their fellow citizens.