05/22/2026
After two changes of venue and a postponement we held the Annual TL Blakemore Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 6 Fallen Officer’s Memorial on Wednesday evening May 20th at the Jaycee’s Building. For the first time abandoning the FOP Memorial Wall and performing the Ceremony inside I am very satisfied with the service and and outcome. In fact it appears the attendees were as well. All agency heads, and local government leaders expressed that it was an outstanding service you did a good job, more than one have expressed it was the best ever. And the reason we do this annually, the families, friends, colleagues, brother and sister law enforcement that spoke with me or honor guard members expressed how much they enjoyed the ceremony and venue. But I didn’t do a good job on my own, in fact a lot of people made “my job” easy. Jay King is the Chairman of the Memorial Committee and he engaged and communicated with agency heads and government leaders leading up to the Ceremony, making sure they received invitations, and keeping them updated on changes. Brent Patterson represents the Sheriff’s Office on the Committee and on the first venue change he arranged with the Von Braun Center a space that VBC Staff set up and was ready to execute on the original date and time until sever weather forced a postponement. Brent also worked for hours transforming a photograph of the Memorial Wall on the Square into a digital image that appeared you could walk up to a touch granite. That image was not lost because the next date chosen on the Courthouse Square was becoming clear that another venue change would be necessary due to forecast heavy rain and possible flooding. Sergeant Chris Jackson representing Huntsville Police worked with John Hunt Park Activities Supervisor Celeste Roberts and secured the Jaycee’s Building, I completed the request for use form with request for chairs, media equipment, and tables. John Hunt Park Staff had the building set up a ready for use by the time the Honor Guards from Huntsville, Madison and Madison County Arrived. Now the Honor Guards went to work without two of their supervisors who had return flight cancellations returning from the National Memorial Service to adjust their drills from outside to inside. After short discussion everyone lined up in their positions, and after five runs through the script, or about 45 minutes the ceremony was perfected. I haven’t mentioned Melody Brown, but she is without a doubt the most valuable player every year! She contacts survivors and pinners, makes/sends all the invitations, takes care of all the flowers and memorial cross. Places ribbons on the hero highway signs, lines up pinners and escorts, scribbles changes to pinners and escorts on my once clean script. And I’ve left something off that Melody does, but I’m coming back later with more details. Finally just before I speak into the microphone at 1730 to say we will begin in 30 minutes, all pinners and escorts report to Melody, Sgt Jackson had turned on the projector and loaded the digital image Brent perfected on the wall to create a atmosphere similar to the courthouse square. So you see quite a few men and women had completed a lot of work for me to step to a microphone and read a script that I mostly know in my mind after fourteen years to honor the twenty six heroes inscribed on the memorial wall. The single most important FOP responsibility I have during the year. I respect everyone I’ve spoke of tremendously for giving the perfect surroundings and atmosphere to stand before the loved ones that are still suffering and tell them there loss heroes are not forgotten, and they are not either. I have some more thoughts coming later. To the Lodge Executive Board, thanks you for entrusting with this awesome responsibility, I truly love what we are able to do, even in a moments change!
💙🫡🇺🇸 Never Forget!
Melody Hollingsworth Brown
Brent Patterson
Jay King
