Candlelight Vigil
The Honor Glow
The National Mall glows
as thousands of law en-
forcement supporters light
candles in honor of fallen
offi cers.
Voices shed light on the honor and legacy
of fallen offi cers at the 30th Annual
Candlelight Vigil ceremony
■ BY AMBER RAMUNDO
■ PHOTOS BY ED CARATTINI
Freedom isn’t free. The words made so much sense as Nation-
al Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Chairman John Ash-
croft’s voice carried across the 30,000 law enforcement officers,
families and supporters who crowded the National Mall on May 13
for the 30th Annual Candlelight Vigil. Not far from the stage where
Ashcroft spoke, the phrase was engraved on the Korean War Veter-
ans Memorial. But at the ceremony that annually defines National
Police Week, the patriotic idiom was personified by the 360 of those
selfless heroes who paid the ultimate price–names that would echo
one-by-one through the night in honor for serving the country they
love.
“We’re here to honor all police officers. Many call it the thin blue
line,” Ashcroft began. “But we’re here specially to pay tribute to
those who made the supreme s