One of the most striking memories that I have of the many adventures I have experienced with Cops on Top is not one of imminent danger, nor one of threatening weather or of a humbling mountain vista. Rather, it is the memory of the emotions that overwhelmed me on the summit of Borah Peak, the highest mountain in Idaho. During a marathon quest through three states, Trooper Stu Frink of the Washington State Patrol and I had arrived at the 12,662 foot summit of Borah under perfect conditions in September of 2003 to honor the fallen officers who had been taken from us in the terrorist attacks of 9-11, as well as the fallen officers of the State of Idaho. It was the second year of what has become an annual tradition with Cops on Top of honoring the sacrifice of the single deadliest day in the history of Law Enforcement.
On the summit, we undertook our traditional activities, ceremonies, and remembrances that have come to mark our arrival on the summits of the world's mountains. The taking of photos, the flying of flags and banners, and the calling of loved ones has become a routine bathed in emotion and the feeling of accomplishment, but always shadowed by the loss of coworkers and friends, fellow officers who have been killed in the line of duty.
As part of our routine, we opened the canister containing the summit register logbook for the purpose of documenting our visit and to leave a message for all those who would come after us of why we had come, so that they too, would know of the sacrifice laid down by police officers who they had never known, but who had died in the line of duty on their behalf. Once finished, we scanned through the register, till we came upon a previous Cops on Top entry. It was the summit entry made by the Cops on Top team members who had arrived there on September 11, 2002, during the first annual 9-11 Memorial Climbs. The passion and dedication of the officers was evident in their summit entry honoring the fallen officers that so willingly gave their lives exactly one year earlier in 2001. I was instantly proud to have been a part of the first September 11 Memorial Climbs (even though I had been on a different team in a different state) and took solace in the humble offering made by these fine officers on the highest point of Idaho.
Reading further, we discovered the entry of climbers who had attained the summit of Borah on that fateful day of September 11, 2001. Like us, they had arrived at the summit; tired but joyful at their accomplishment. Like us, they had taken their summit photos and had called home to share their joy with loved ones far away. It was then that they had learned of the day's events. Their sober summit logbook entry was very realistic and insightful. In clear language, they documented that they had set foot upon the mountain early that day and would step off of it later that night, into a new age, their lives having been dramatically altered and their world changed forever. Their sense of loss was evident.
It was the same that we had all felt on that tragic day. I was forced to remember once again how small and impotent I had felt as I watched on live TV as 71 of my fellow police officers and 343 firefighters perished before my eyes in the very act of service and self sacrifice to others they had not known or had ever met. I was forced to remember the photographs I had seen showing both police officers and firefighters resolutely climbing upward on the flights of stairs upon which thousands descended, fleeing from certain death and danger.
As I read the summit logbook entry, I was reminded yet again of what it means to be in Law Enforcement and why good men and women choose to lay down their lives, or why they knowingly engage in a profession where the risk of death and injury is frequently lurking around the next corner. I remembered why we had embarked on the mission of Cops on Top all those years ago; so that their memory and their sacrifice would never be forgotten. I was strengthened by the perceptions of these previous climbers, but more importantly, I was buoyed up by the knowledge that, at least for that day, the names and memories of those fallen officers were burning brightly.
Since that day on the summit of Borah's Peak, I have undertaken the opportunity to honor our fallen brothers and sisters on the highest points of several states on each September 11 that has followed. I have stood upon the sacred and hallowed earth of "Ground Zero" and at the outer wall of the Pentagon. I have been overcome with emotion inside the small rooms of the NYPD Museum at the tributes contained therein to the officers who lost their lives on 9-11.
I am particularly struck by a singular display in the NYPD Museum. A large photograph is displayed inside one case above a standard issue "Sam Brown" and its requisite attachments that define the police uniform. The photograph is of a female Sergeant of the NYPD. Calm and in control, she stands amid chaos at the base of one of the Towers, having just escorted one group of survivors from inside the Tower to safety and freedom. Moments later, this proud and professional Sergeant will turn and GO BACK INSIDE in order to further her mission of the rescue of people she does not know. It is the last known photograph of her... the Tower into which she knowingly entered collapsed a short time thereafter. The photograph of this fine example of a professional Policewoman is the epitome of the courage and bravery displayed by officers throughout our nation.
While standing before this photograph, the viewer's eyes are drawn down to the "Sam Brown" leather belt and accessories. It is then that it sinks in that the belt is the same one portrayed in the photograph. Unlike the belt shined and carefully organized which encircles the proud Sergeant in the photograph, it now lays before the viewer battered, burned, torn, and damaged by water, heat, and toxin. With heart-rending dismay, you realize that before you lies the only remains of the vibrant Sergeant. No longer just a name, or a badge number, her simple "Sam Brown" makes it resoundingly clear that she was once filled with hopes, with dreams, and with fears. This simple belt represents what was once someone's daughter, sister, mother, or perhaps wife.
As I stood before that disfigured leather belt, I defiantly vowed that, at the very least, I would never forget her sacrifice, her strength in the face of extreme adversity, and her courage and service that rose to the challenge and which had saved the lives of others during the chaos and destruction raining down around her. May her sacrifice never be forgotten. May God bless and be with her family and friends. May this Sergeant of the New York City Police Department rest in peace in the arms of a loving God. May her memory be kept shining brightly in honor and glory. May we NEVER forget.
In just a few short weeks, Cops on Top will again take to the roads and trails of America on September 11, 2008 in our annual attempt to honor not only the officers lost on 9-11, but also all of our nation's fallen police officers in all 50 States. Fresh from the Summit for Heroes, and secure in the knowledge that mid-September weather will prevent many summits from being reached, especially in the high mountains of the West, there is no doubt that we will be unable to achieve all 50 State Highpoints. Nonetheless, many teams and indeed, single officers and solo climbers, will undergo difficult and dangerous conditions to reach their summit on behalf of friends, family members, co-workers, and fallen brothers and sisters in arms. How could they otherwise? When they have the example of those we honor to drive us onward and upward, what are the minor inconveniences of cold temperatures, strong winds, steep routes, and high gasoline prices compared to the sacrifices of those on whose behalf we climb?
Please join with us in celebrating the memory and sacrifice of our fallen brothers and sisters who have given their lives in the line of duty by undertaking a memorial climb in your state. If you did not participate in the recent Summit for Heroes, this is a great opportunity to personally experience the reason why Cops on Top exists. Seize this opportunity to ensure that their sacrifice is never forgotten.
May we NEVER forget.
Lieutenant Keith McPheeters
Farmington NM Police Department
President, Cops on Top Inc.