EDITOR

Brian Justice

For the past 30 years, Winchester has taken time to honor its public servants who have fallen in the line of duty.

The 2026 chapter of that remembrance took place on May 11 at City Hall with the public gathering together to pay tribute to those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty with the ultimate sacrifice — their lives.

Local heroes who were honored included Chief John E. Penny, who served with the Decherd Police Department from 1942 to 1944; Sgt. Daniel Smith, who served with the Winchester Police Department from 1974 to 1996; Investigator Michael K. Buckner, who served with the Decherd Police Department from 1998 to 2005; Investigator Charles Jerry Crabtree, who served with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office from 1957 to 2010; Lt. Wilbur Pinnell, who served the Winchester Fire Department from 1974 to 1995; and Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician Tracy D. Floyd, who served the Winchester Fire Department from 1993 to 1997.

The guest speaker for the memorial was Tullahoma Fire Chief Kenneth Pearson, who said Winchester’s Police and Firefighters Memorial has involved three decades of an unwavering commitment to the heroes who had given their lives in service to the community.

He said the dedication in preserving their memories speaks to the strengths of the community regarding respect for the public servants and the deep sense of gratitude that has defined the city.

“To be a leader in public safety is to carry a responsibility that extends far beyond the walls of any department,” Pearson said. “Leadership means standing with your people in their proudest moments and in their darkest hours.

“It means understanding that every shift, every call and every decision carries weight. When a line-of-duty death occurs, its impacts are profound, it reshapes families and leaves lasting marks on departments, and it echoes throughout the entire community.”

Pearson said it is a reminder that service is not an abstract ideal but a daily act of courage and, sometimes, a sacrifice that can never be repaid.

“True leadership honors that sacrifice by supporting those who continue the mission and by ensuring that the fallen are never forgotten,” he said. “Today we gather in a place of remembrance, a place or honor, a place where the weight of sacrifice meets the strength of a community.

“We stand together — police officers, firefighters, families, friends and citizens — to remember the men and women who gave their lives in the line of duty. We come here not simply to mourn their loss but to celebrate their courage, their service and the legacy they left behind.”

Pearson encouraged the audience to say the names of the fallen in their hearts and to carry their stories forward “to remind the world that heroes walk among us, not in capes or in headlines but in uniforms and turnout gear, in patrol cars, in fire engines and in the quiet everyday acts of service that define true character.”

He said that police officers and firefighters share a bond that’s unique in public service. He added that both professions demand courage, sacrifice and a willingness to step forward when others step back.

“Every day, our officers and firefighters put on a uniform that symbolizes something greater than themselves,” Pearson said. “They step into roles that require them to face danger, uncertainty and the unknown.

He said officers and firefighters respond to calls that most people hope they never have to experience. He added that they run toward the sound of chaos, toward smoke and toward the cries for help.

“They do it not for recognition, not for applause, but because they believe in something bigger — the safety of their community, the protection of their neighbors and the preservation of life.”

Pearson said that belief is what brought each of the heroes into service, and that belief is what was being honored at the memorial.

“When we speak of line-of-duty deaths, we speak of the hardest moments a department can face,” he said. “We speak of families whose lives have changed in an instant.

“We speak of colleagues who have lost a brother or sister. We speak of communities that lost a protector, but we also speak of legacies — legacies built call by call, shift by shift, year by year. A police officer’s legacy is written in the lives they protected, the victims they converted, the wrongs they made right and the peace they helped maintain.”

Pearson went on to say that a firefighter’s legacy is built on the lives they saved, the fires they fought, the disasters the faced and the hope they brought to people on the worst day of their lives.

“These legacies do not fade, they do not weaken, and they do not disappear,” he said. “They live on in every officer who pins on a badge. They live on in every firefighter who pulls on their gear. They live on in every citizen who sleeps safely at night because someone stood watch.

“To the families of fallen heroes, you’ve shared your loved one with this community. You endured the holidays and constant worry that comes with loving someone who runs toward danger. You carried a burden that few understand, and you continue to carry it with grace. Today, we honor you as well.”

Pearson said that the service of the fallen lives on through their families, and their courage lives on through them. He added that their memory lives on because those who knew them continue telling their stories, sharing their laughter and holding on to the moments that made them who they are.

“Please know this, you are forever a part of our police and fire family,” he said. “We stand with you, we grieve with you, and will never forget the sacrifice your family has made.”

He told the men and women still serving today to look around and look at the families, community members and fellow first responders gathered at the ceremony.

“This ceremony is not only about the past. It’s about the present and the future,” Pearson said. “You carry the torch now, you carry the responsibility to honor the fallen by living the values they embodied — courage, integrity, compassion, service above self.

“Every time you respond to a call, every time you help someone in need, every time you choose duty over comfort, you honor them. Their legacy is now part of your story, and your service becomes part of theirs.”

He said that police officers and firefighters share a sacred truth that the work is dangerous, but the mission is worth the effort.

“We cannot erase the risks, we cannot eliminate the dangers, but we can stand together united as one public-safety family,” Pearson said. “When a firefighter falls, police officers stand beside them. When a officer falls, firefighters stand beside them.

“When a family grieves, both departments surround them with support. The unity is not symbolic. It is real. It is lived. It is earned through shared sacrifice and shared purpose. Today we honor that unity as much as we honor the lives of those we have lost.”

He told the audience to make a promise that the names of the fallen will never be forgotten, that their stories will not fade into history and their service will not be reduced to a single moment.

“We’ll speak their names. We will honor their memory. We will carry their legacy forward,” Pearson said. “Because a hero’s life is not defined by how they died but how they lived, and our fallen have lived with courage, with honor and with commitment to others that few can truly understand.”

He said that in the fire service, the bell rings to mark the end of the day, and in the police service, the radio falls silent after the final call.

“But in our hearts, their service continues, their courage continues, their example continues, their impact continues,” Pearson said. “Today we remember. Tomorrow we will continue the mission and always honor the fallen.”