Memorial service honors fallen officers

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
SOLEMN CEREMONY — Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin speaks to those gathered for the third annual Police Memorial Ceremony at the Houlton barracks Wednesday. The ceremony is for those killed in the line of duty.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Local law enforcement officials from southern Aroostook County gathered at the Houlton Police Department Wednesday afternoon for an emotional ceremony to remember fallen colleagues during the department’s third annual memorial.
    Held prior to National Police Memorial Week, May 15-21, Wednesday’s event featured the Houlton Police Department joined by U.S. Border Patrol agents, the Houlton Band of Maliseets Tribal Police, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and Maine Warden Services officers.
    Two officers that died in the line of duty were honored during the memorial. Daryl Gordon, a pilot with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Sgt. Adam Rosenthal, a former co-worker with Houlton Police Sgt. Fred Parker, of the Delray Beach, Fla. Police Department.
    Warden Gordon was killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake in Piscataquis County on March 25; while Rosenthal was killed in a car accident on his way to work on Feb. 17.
    Pastor Wayne Robertson of the Houlton Wesleyan opened the ceremony with a brief moment of prayer. Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin followed with a welcoming to those gathered.
    “Every 56 hours in this country, a law enforcement officer loses his or her life in the line of duty,” he said. “Last year, 154 cops were killed bringing the total to 19,299 names engraved on National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C.”
    The chief said 2010 was a particularly tough year for law enforcement deaths, featuring an increase over the previous year. Officer fatalities increased by 25 percent, and for the 13th year in a row, traffic-related incidents were the number-one cause of death.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
MOVING MOMENT — Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin, left and Sgt. Fred Parker place a wreath in front of the Houlton police barracks Wednesday.
    Firearm-related fatalities also spiked last year by 20 percent, the chief said. A total of 59 officers were fatally shot in the line of duty in 2010, as compared to 49 during the previous year.
    “On average, the officers who lost their lives were 41 years old and had served in law enforcement for approximately 11 years,” he said. “Hearing this, a person has to wonder why men and women choose to be law enforcement officers. I can tell you that it isn’t because of the money, medals, praise or fame. They simply want to serve their fellow citizens.”
    He noted the incident on March 30 in which an individual threatened to blow up a bus while stopped at a Houlton service station could have gone far differently, had the individual been carrying a real bomb.
    “As a police chief, the one call I never want to receive is the one where I am told that an officer has been killed or seriously injured,” he said. “For all of us at HPD, Border Patrol, the sheriff’s department or the state police, it is all about doing our jobs to the very best of our abilities and being able to go home to be with our families.
    Asselin then spoke of Gordon, whom he has a personal connection to. Asselin’s daughter Kelly is married to Gordon’s son, Daryl Gordon II. Warden Gordon was 60 years old and a 25-year veteran of the Maine Warden Service. He was also a former Marine who served in Vietnam and was awarded the Purple Heart. He leaves behind his wife of 35 years, two sons, a daughter-in-law, many friends and relatives.
    “I will always remember Daryl for his contagious smile, folksy mannerisms, the way he always curled the brim of his cap so that it looked like an upside down ‘U’ and his deep Maine accent,” Asselin said. “Though no one would argue that flying was his passion, his true love was for his wife, Rita and his family. Daryl was indeed a loving husband, father and devoted Christian.
    “Daryl was a pillar for law enforcement — a model for us all,” he continued. “Daryl’s example of dedication, friendship, courage, compassion and love will forever serve as what a life well-lived looks like. Thank you Daryl for your service and for all of your tireless efforts. Lay down and rest with the angels, our good and faithful servant. Well done.”
    Sgt. Parker described Rosenthal as a confident, yet caring officer.
    “I worked with Adam for 13 years and was his direct supervisor for three of those years,” Parker said. “Adam was an exceptional man, outstanding police officer and a dedicated trainer and instructor. Adam truly cared about his fellow police officers. He became a leading trainer in South Florida.”
    Rosenthal is survived by his wife and four children.   
    “It was an honor to serve with you and I thank you, my friend,” Parker said.
    The ceremony concluded with each department reading names of fallen officers and the presentation of flags. Members of the color guard who carried flags for the ceremony included HPD officers Kris Calaman, Gary McGuire, D.J. Norton, Stephen Nason and Ezekiel Collins.