Letters to the Editor: Remembering The Men in Blue
Monday, May 10, 2021
One of the 22,611 names on the Memorial is Aaron Allan. On the morning of July 27, 2017, he and his wife Stacy put their son on the bus for his first day of kindergarten. Then Aaron went to work, where he responded to a single-car accident. When he crawled into the vehicle to help the passengers, he was shot 11 times.
Stacy and her son came to DC to visit the Memorial and see Aaron’s name engraved on the Memorial. Stacy was overwhelmed to see the love of her life memorialized in stone. At that moment, she felt she was not alone—she had the support of friends, family, and the law enforcement community.
On May 13, we will gather virtually to honor fallen officers like Aaron Allan during our 33rd Annual Candlelight Vigil. I hope you’ll join us and pay tribute to those who gave their lives by donating and lighting a virtual candle today.
We set a goal to light 22,611 virtual candles to commemorate each name engraved on the Memorial. And this year, we added 394 new names to the Memorial. With your donation and the gift of a virtual candle, you allow us to continue to memorialize officers and tell their story.
A year after Aaron Allan’s passing, his coworkers came together to support his family. For his son’s first day of first grade, 30 officer cars lined the streets with their lights blazing to escort him to school. And they’ve escorted him every year since. Our compassionate law enforcement community supports one another when it matters most. Please continue this tradition by donating and lighting a virtual candle in honor of our law enforcement heroes like Aaron Allan.
Warm regards,
Marcia Ferranto
Chief Executive Officer