Policeman William F. Campbell

Officer Campbell is my great grandfather. I remember his picture in my grandparents' home when I was a child. The story was that he was shot while trying to catch a criminal. Certainly, being "gut shot" was a terrible way to go. We knew that he was a hero, but some of the other details were not relayed to me or my cousins.

With the recent focus on police brutality, I find it concerning that the suffering and sacrifice of those who gave their lives in police service are somehow relegated to secondary status. That is an injustice. Most recently, a public display at Dartmouth College that honored policemen killed in the line of duty was defaced and removed (without authority) by member of the Black Lives Matter movement. As the parent of a Dartmouth student, I am saddened by these actions. I hope that those who engaged in such behavior are reprimanded. Freedom of speech is a sacred right in this country. Those that seek to restrain the free speech rights of others cannot hide behind the First Amendment to justify their unlawful actions.

Officers like William Campbell, who gave their lives in the line of duty, deserve proper respect and dignity. Those who seek to protest may do so, but such protest cannot include defacement or destruction of authorized recognitions of those lives lost while serving their fellow man.

John G. McJunkin -- great grandson

May 16, 2016