FLETC Day 3


Day three start was rough.  It took me about 12 miles to wake up but after that, I felt pretty good on the bicycle.  My body is finally adjusting to being on the bike all day.

Today we wore white socks in memory of "Angry Rob" Moorhead.  Angry Rob was a FLETC Rider and a friend.  He was killed in 2011 two weeks before the FLETC Ride.  He was on a training ride and was struck and killed by a distracted driver.  One of my favorite memories of Rob is when he played the bagpipes for my brother.  It was a honor to know him.
We started the day riding from Orangeburg to Columbia where we met the family of Investigator Holmes Smith.  Frances (mom), Rhonda (sister), and Shirley (Aunt) were decked out in their custom Holmes shirts and welcomed the team with smiles and hugs.  You could tell they not only appreciated the FLETC team but looked forward to seeing them yearly.  

South Carolina has a beautiful memorial to their fallen officers with the names inscribe around a plaza that is centered with eagle statue and a blue line leading the way.

Our next Columbia Stop was at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy for the 2017 South Carolina Law Enforcement Memorial.

I was so glad to get to spend a short time with Amy Bigham who greeted me with a big hug... it's so nice to get to see friends along the way.  Who knew that in high school that we'd grow up and be such a support to each other. 

Officer Third Class Allen Lee Jacobs was recognized as South Carolina's only 2016 line of duty death.  He will be added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial this year in Washington, D.C.

Greenville Police Chief Ken Miller quoted George W. Bush's speech from Dallas (when speaking about the five officers killed in 2017):

Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples, while judging ourselves by our best intentions. And this is...
And this has strained our bonds of understanding and common purpose. But Americans, I think, have a great advantage. To renew our unity, we only need to remember our values.

I'd never heard the speech but I couldn't agree more.

It was great to see Sal and Lois Rao parents of Micheal Rao again.  I'm not sure how they are able to keep up with everyone, but it seems like they've never met a stranger and dont seem to forget a face. 



We wrapped up the day riding to Camden, SC.  The Police Department and Fire Department fed us a great pasta dinner with banana pudding (my favorite).  With all of the calories I've burned, I figured a second helping of banana pudding would be okay. 

96.2 Miles for the day at a 17 mile average - not too bad considering we had some hills to climb.  Total so far is 310 Miles. 

Tomorrow we have around 135 miles to go. 






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FLETC Day 1

Image
Day 1 of the FLETC ride is in the books.  We started the morning with a quick ride to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center where we welcomed by the staff and given a tour of the 912 Building - Click the link to learn more about the building design. A couple of cool features of the building - The number (and name) 912 represents law enforcement after 911 - leading change in training, adapting to and proactively addressing emerging threats, supporting our partners’ needs, and advancing the Nation’s homeland security goal.  The twin towers (911 memorial) overlooking the living pond that has a shelf built to represent the 911 memorial in New York. The color guard welcomed with presentation of the colors, the National Anthem, Taps, a quick prayer and they served us some breakfast sandwiches to fuel us on for our journey. Steve drove a support vehicle for the day. It was great to have him experience part of the ride.  I'll see him May 12 in Washington, D.C.
Read more

FLETC Day 4

Image
Whew... what a day!  Day 4 was the longest day I've ever spent on the bike.  We rode 136 Miles from Camden through Sumpter, Lake City, and Conway to Myrtle Beach, SC.  We battled some early hills, consistent head winds, heavy rains, and poorly paved roads.  It was a tough 136 miles but we worked together as a team to get to Myrtle Beach and get in before the severe weather came in. You'll see we were all wearing yellow and red socks from New Mexico.  Today we rode in memory of another one of our FLETC team members Rob Baron of the Sandoval County Sheriff's Office, New Mexico. Rob succumbed to injuries sustained when he was struck by a vehicle.  His end of watch date was 12/06/2013. We arrived in Conway, SC soaking wet as the skies opened up on us with 2 miles to go.  We snapped a group photo where a Memorial ceremony took place.  We left Conway and had a "rough" ride to Myrtle Beach Police Department, but they were able to shut down the busiest
Read more