Societies have long employed ceremony to honor and remember the sacrifices of fallen heroes. Plaques, statues, markers and other monuments have historically commemorated heroes past, but some methods employ even more symbolism. An organization called Saving a Hero’s Place pays homage with custom-made chairs.  Adorned with a thin blue line and the fallen officer’s name, the markers serve as a reminder that the officer’s absence will be felt by their comrades at the start of each shift.

Saving a Hero’s Place recently presented the Fort Worth Police Department with several of these memorials, in honor of Corporal Garrett Hull and Officer Dewayne Freeto. Hull was killed in 2018 during a shootout, and Freeto was killed by a drunk driver in 2006. The chairs join one that the nonprofit previously presented to the department in 2018 to honor Officer Hank Nava Jr., who was shot and killed in 2005. 

Members of the fallen officers’ families were on hand for the ceremony. Hull’s widow, Sabrina, told news station NBC Dallas–Fort Worth that “saying our hero’s name out loud for our family keeps them alive.” Freeto’s wife, Karen, said that it “fills my heart to know that he will not be forgotten, and that officers will see his name for years to come.”

It’s not uncommon for police departments to dedicate areas of their facilities to memorialize their fallen comrades. It serves as a reminder to young officers of the very real dangers of the job. More importantly, it ensures that those who made the ultimate sacrifice are never forgotten.