(FBOP) - On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, during Correctional Workers' Week, the Federal Bureau of Prisons held its annual memorial service for the agency's twenty-six fallen heroes. The service took place at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The Bureau welcomed Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General (PADAG) Marshall Miller as the guest speaker. He stated, "Correctional work is critical to the mission of the Department of Justice to uphold the rule of law to keep our country safe and to protect our civil rights. Yet, all too often, for their efforts, correctional workers receive insufficient recognition and inadequate appreciation. Theirs is a noble calling, but the stresses and burdens of their mission are immense. At its heart, correctional work is an extraordinary act of both service and sacrifice. All of you here have borne witness to that service and sacrifice...Our nation is safer because of their work. Today we salute all correctional officers and other corrections professionals, and we remember all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to serve and protect our communities." Afterward, he also paid tribute to U.S. Deputy Marshal Thomas M. "Tommy" Weeks, Jr. who was killed in the line of duty the week before along with other members of a fugitive task force and offered condolences to the families and colleagues.
Following the PADAG's remarks, Director Colette S. Peters addressed the audience, "Sadly, unlike most other memorials here in Washington, D.C., the National Law Enforcement Memorial is ever changing with new names of fallen officers added each spring. These Walls of Remembrance were designed to embrace the memorial and provide comfort to those who come here to reflect and honor the fallen. We gather here today to honor the memory of twenty-six Federal Bureau of Prisons employees who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty and to see that their legacies continue to live on through each of us. We must never forget the tragedies of the past and the corrections professionals' lives that were cut short while ensuring the public's safety."
The service concluded with a solemn tribute to the twenty-six fallen heroes. As each of the names was read, a bell tolled, and a rose was placed on the center medallion of the memorial. Following the sorrowful sound of "Taps," Director Peters and PADAG Miller accompanied members of the FCI Cumberland Honor Guard in placing a wreath adjacent to the medallion while a bagpipe played "Amazing Grace."
In recognition of Correctional Workers Week, make time to remember the commitment and dedication to public service of the Nation's law enforcement officers, including those who gave their lives for the safety and protection of others. The twenty-six names below will forever be etched on the memorial walls: gone, but not forgotten.
Joseph B. Waldrupe (Correctional Officer) * USP Leavenworth (KS) * November 10, 1901 Andrew F. Turner (Correctional Officer) * USP Leavenworth (KS) * March 26, 1916 Edgar A. Barr (Correctional Officer) * USP Leavenworth (KS) * March 19, 1917 James R. Brock (Deputy Warden) * USP Atlanta (GA) * December 27, 1917 Andrew H. Leonard (Captain) * USP Leavenworth (KS) * November 14, 1922 Robert G. Warnke (Laundry Foreman) * USP Leavenworth (KS) * June 20, 1929 Royal C. Cline (Correctional Officer) * USP Alcatraz (CA) * May 23, 1938 Harold P. Stites (Senior Officer) * USP Alcatraz (CA) * May 2, 1946 William A. Miller (Correctional Officer) * USP Alcatraz (CA) * May 3, 1946 William W. Latimer (Correctional Officer) * National Training School (WDC) * October 15, 1960 Vern M. Jarvis (Senior Officer) * USP Marion (IL) * January 26, 1969 Wayne L. Selle (Senior Officer) * USP Leavenworth (KS) * July 31, 1973 John W. Johnson (Correctional Officer) * USP Leavenworth (KS) * September 29, 1974 Donald F. Reis (Senior Officer Specialist) * FCI El Reno (OK) * February 28, 1975 Janice R. Hylen (Contract Dietitian) * USP Atlanta (GA) * November 21, 1979 Gregory J. Gunter (Maintenance Mechanic General Foreman) * FCI Petersburg (VA) * December 25, 1982 Gary L. Rowe (Senior Officer) * MCC San Diego (CA) * February 7, 1983 Merle E. Clutts (Senior Officer Specialist) * USP Marion (IL) * October 22, 1983 Robert L. Hoffmann (Senior Officer Specialist) * USP Marion (IL) * October 22, 1983 Boyd H. Spikerman (Correctional Officer) * FCI Oxford (WI) * January 29, 1984 Robert F. Miller (Senior Officer) * USP Lewisburg (PA) * October 12, 1987 D'Antonio A. Washington (Correctional Officer) * USP Atlanta (GA) * December 22, 1994 Scott J. Williams (Senior Officer Specialist) * USP Lompoc (CA) * April 3, 1997 Jose V. Rivera (Correctional Officer) * USP Atwater (CA) * June 20, 2008 Eric J. Williams (Senior Correctional Officer) * USP Canaan (PA) * February 25, 2013 Osvaldo O. Albarati (Supervisory Correctional Officer) * MDC Guaynabo * February 26, 2013
A video highlighting the service will be posted when it becomes available.