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Candle Light Vigil The Board of Directors for the Rockland Police Memorial is pleased to report on the success of our Candle Light Vigil which was held at our memorial site on Friday, May 04, 2001 at 08:00 p.m. The service featured several invited guest speakers and music followed by the traditional lighting of the candles in honor of all of our fallen heroes. This was followed by a collation at a local hall. The Board of Directors ordered special bricks for the Candle Light Vigil. We ordered a brick in the name of Medfield Police Officer Daniel McCarthy who was tragically killed while working a traffic detail a few short weeks ago. Danny left behind a wife and five children. He worked here in Rockland for a little over a year before transferring to Medfield. He is sadly missed by all. Danny's brick was officially laid in place by his family and fellow officers as part of the candlelight vigil, in May 2001. We will be placing the names of all Line of Duty Deaths of Massachusetts Police Officers in the memorial walkway, beginning with the date of the Memorial Dedication (June 10, 2000) forward. We placed bricks in the walkway in Remembrance of the Worcester Six Firefighters. These bricks were done on our own as a way to forever remember the depth of that tragedy and give others locally a place to come to, to honor their loss. Although we have made this decision on our own to remember their losses, we contacted the Worcester Fire Department to let them know that we were doing this. They were invited to attend our Candlelight Vigil. The bricks were put in the walkway by members of the Rockland Fire Department who went to Worcester during that tragedy to assist them. We here in Rockland believe that this memorial is designed to remember not only our fallen officers, but our friends and families. We want the public as well as our brothers and sisters in the Public Safety field to have a place where they can come and reflect upon their own losses. By putting the Worcester Six in this memorial, we hope to give those people who did not have the chance to go to Worcester for the services or to Colorado Springs for their memorial, a place where they can come and Honor those heroes. With the tragic loss of officers here in Massachusetts over the past few years, it is comforting that we have a place here in Rockland where we can go for quiet solitude and reflection on those losses. The Board of Directors of the Rockland Police Memorial Perpetual Care Fund is announcing that a new series of bricks will be added next spring, with sales of those bricks opening up for the holidays. Bricks will continue to be added until the walkway is completely full. We have approximately 250 places left in the walkway for bricks. Orders are still being accepted for that series of bricks. These will be ordered in February, so that they are set and in place to coincide with National Peace Officers Memorial Week, May 13 - 15, 2002. ----------------------------------------------------------- Rockland
Police Department Prelude Boston
Police Gaelic Column of Pipes and Drums Words of Welcome Rockland
Police Sergeant Opening Prayer
Father James Hickey Posting of Colors Rockland
Police Honor Guard The Star Spangled Banner State
Police Sergeant Daniel Clark Guest Speaker Rockland Chief of Police Kevin M. Donovan/ Lt. Barry Ashton Guest Speaker Robert
J. Nyman, Representative Guest Speaker William
D. Delahunt Tenth Congressional District Poem: "The
Policeman Stood and Faced his God" Author Unknown Setting of Names Medfield
Officer Daniel McCarthy's Brick To Be Added To Walkway "Oh Danny Boy" State
Police Sergeant Daniel Clark Keynote Speaker Massachusetts
Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) Lighting of Candles COPS/Worcester
Six Family Members Special Music: Just
A Closer Walk with Thee Special Presentation of Thin blue Line & Ribbons Ofc.
John T. O'Connor Choral Benediction Amazing
Grace traditional Words of Appreciation Rockland Police Sergeant Wayne M. Jackson Retiring of the Colors Senior Honor Guard Commander Jay Simpson Rockland Police Honor Guard Special thanks to the businesses for your assistance and continued supports. Without your support and services this memorial would have been all but impossible to fund. Thank you to all of our business-people, citizens, civic organizations and most of all the youth of our town who have been behind this project from the beginning. On
behalf of the Board of Directors of the Rockland Police Memorial
Fund I want to extend a personal thank you to the Community of
Rockland. Although the members of the committee were instrumental
in putting the memorial project together and getting the project
finished, it would have been impossible to do without the support
of the whole community.
The Rockland Police Memorial has now established The Rockland Police Memorial Perpetual Care Fund for the care and upkeep of the memorial. The care-taking of the memorial site has been turned over to the Board of Directors of this new fund. The offices of this fund directly coincide with offices of The Rockland Police Honor Guard and will work to keep this memorial site clean, well kept and enjoyable for all to use. Kevin
M. Donovan Chief of Police |
