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Category:
Published: June 2007
Success Magazine Ltd honors NYS Troopers David Brinkerhoff, Joseph Longobardo, John McKenna, Jose Rosado, Andrew Sperr, and Craig Todeschini, who gave their lives in the line of duty.
On Memorial Day we have generations of heroes to celebrate and honor. The line of men and women who have given their lives in service to others stretches back to the beginnings of humanity, and leads infinitely forward. We hear their stories in history books, newspapers, magazines and movies. We hear their stories from people whose lives they touched. Heroes. Role Models. We remember them, and by remembering, we are reminded of the potential for goodness we all possess. Our heroes give us hope, because they led their lives with great light.
The world is full of memorials, seemingly endless streams of names etched in stone and brass. From a distance, each monument is a testament to bravery, selflessness, honor and service. Step close, though. Put your hand to it. Every name is testament to a life. We can't know all their stories, the intricate details that made them singular and full. Did he build pillow forts? Read the sonnets of Pablo Neruda? Did he run out and make snow angels in the middle of the night? Did he tell bedtime stories to his daughter? Did she learn to bake cookies at her grandmother's side? Did a field full of lightning bugs make her giddy with wonder? We can't possibly know all the ways they deserve to be treasured. But we can treasure them for their sacrifice and for their selflessness.
We can value their lives as they valued ours. They were willing to lay their lives on the line to protect us, to protect the principles of freedom that define our nation. As we celebrate the selflessness of our heroes, remember their sacrifice as a celebration of life. Every morning in their barracks or bedrooms or foxholes they made the choice to button their uniform, and for another day, risk their own lives to ensure the safety and freedom of others. Through that quiet act, they celebrated each of us. They told us we were worth protecting. Their selflessness was an offer of respect, proof that they believed in the value or our lives, and in our potential to live fully, with purpose and integrity. Every day they made the choice to protect us. Every day thousands of people make that choice again, and for that choice, they are heroes.
This month, we at Success Magazine Ltd. would like to pay grateful tribute to six such heroes. State Troopers David Brinkerhoff, Joseph Longobardo, John McKenna, Andrew Sperr, Jose Rosado, and Craig Todeschini sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Their careers resound with service. Their eulogies echo strength, honor, joy, and compassion. I have tried to learn everything I could about these men. I poured through articles and photos, notes of thanks from complete strangers, and messages from family and friends filled with love, heartbreak and memories. I know I have not even begun to understand who they were, but I am honored to have shared a glimpse into their lives.
Through the window of shared memories I see "Brink" beaming behind a camera as he proudly snaps pictures of his baby girl. I see John McKenna as a child, splashing in the spray of a Brooklyn fire hydrant, and then grown, pouring through a history book, adjusting his quirky hat. I see Craig Todeschini laying his head on his wife's pregnant belly, deciding on "Leah" for the daughter he'll never meet. I see Joe Longobardo situating his Stetson on his son's head, and melting into laughter as he toddles away. I see Jose Rosado's daughter smiling from the window as her Dad meticulously waxes the Corvette. I see A.J. Sperr preparing for the next fishing trip, tousling his niece's hair with uncommon tenderness, while a yellow lab bounces at his feet. These mingled memories are only snapshots from their stories, only glimpses of their goodness, but they are enough to show how much they mattered.
At the entrance to the New York State Police Academy there is a statue; a trooper stands atop a platform, emblazoned on four sides with the words honor, integrity, courage, tradition. In their own way, each of these six men built their lives on that same foundation. They upheld their chosen duty to protect and serve. They stopped reckless cars on dark, empty streets, opened doors not knowing what they'd find. They stood up to murderers, drug pushers and thieves. They stood up for justice and right. They stood up for your children. They stood up for you. They were Eagle Scouts, volunteer firemen, National Guardsmen, EMTs. They served overseas. They served at Ground Zero. They served in New Orleans. They served every day in our own neighborhoods. They were husbands, fathers, brothers, sons. Every day they saw the worst in us, the hate, the hurt, the greed, the selfishness, and the indifference. Yet, in all this darkness, they saw our potential for light. They believed the people and the principles of this country are worth serving, worth protecting.
They believed in you. They believed in the value of your life and the fullness of your days. They believed your life was worth their own. Earn that. Build a pillow fort. Read the sonnets of Pablo Neruda. Make snow angels in the middle of the night. Tell bedtime stories to your children. Learn something from your elders. Find the things that make you giddy with wonder. Live with integrity, strength, respect, honor and joy. Live with selflessness. Live a life that makes their sacrifice worthwhile.
On Memorial Day, we remember our heroes. We remember the lights they set in the darkness, the beacons of goodness that helped light our way. At a candlelight vigil in memory of the fallen, a girl's plump hand shields a tiny flame as her father bends his candle to hers. The flame passes on, and on, illuminating the room with memory and hope. We may not all hold the blazing torches of heroism, but we can all kindle the sparks of strength, honesty, joy and compassion in our lives. We can ignite what is best in ourselves, and nurture the best in others. On Memorial Day we remember our heroes. We remember the best of who they were. We remember their light. How better to honor them than by infusing our own lives with their brightness?
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