Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Senior Patrol Agent Travis Wayne Attaway

United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - United States Border Patrol, U.S. Government

End of Watch Sunday, September 19, 2004

Leave a Reflection

Reflections for Senior Patrol Agent Travis Wayne Attaway

Senior Patrol Agent Attaway,

You have one of the toughest jobs, I have the utmost respect for you all. My thoughts and prayers are with your family and the US Customs and Border Protection. Rest in Peace Brother....

Officer
NC

September 23, 2004

You are in our thoughts and prayers. Senior Patrol Agent Travis W. Attway gave the ultimate sacrifice protecting the members of his community. You now walk a beat where there is no violence, only peace. See you on the other side.

First Sergeant Salvatore Torelli
Fauquier County Sheriff's Office, VA

September 23, 2004

God bless you brother. Your brothers and sisters of the Patrol will not forget you. You will be missed.

Senior Patrol Agent L. Cabranes
USBP

September 23, 2004

To the family, friends, and co-workers my prayers are with you. I wish there was something that I could say to help you through this terrible time. But as everyone knows there is nothing, the only thing that help was I knew Clint loved being a police officer and would not have traded places with anyone.
Agent Attaway I know that your family will miss you everyday, but we will never forget you. Look Clint up for me and tell him we miss him everyday...

Connie Barker
Mother of Clint Walker E.O.W. 1-14-04

September 23, 2004

Travis, as you now know, Jesus Loves You, so do we!
John 3:16

Ret Officer RB WAde
Richmond, Va Police

September 22, 2004

Rest in peace sir.

Shannon
concerned citizen

September 22, 2004

God bless you and your family at your tragic loss. You will never be forgotten.

DE
St. Louis City Police

September 22, 2004

My family would like to send our heartfelt sympathies to the family, friends, & fellow co-workers of Agent Travis Attaway.
You're in our thoughts and prayers. May God watch over all the brave men and women in law
enforcement who put their lives on the line everyday as they serve & protect their communitites.
Your job is a difficult one and we truly appreciate all you do. God bless each & everyone of you.

Gail M Pabst
Aunt of fallen Detroit P.O. Jennifer Fettig eow 2-16-04

September 22, 2004

Again we mourn as another hero is taken from us. My deepest sympathy to the family, friends and co-workers of Agent Attaway. May the Lord give you strength and bless each of you during this time.
Rest in peace for your watch here is over; walk in heavens beat and guide us all to protect and serve others safely.

US Ranger Catroppa
National Park Service Kennesaw GA

September 22, 2004

My condolences to everyone in the border patrol,may god bless you all....

skip roberson

September 22, 2004

Again we mourn as another hero is taken from us. Our deepest sympathy to the family, friends and co-workers of Senior Patrol Agent Travis W. Attaway. May the Lord give you strength and bless each of you during this time. Rest in peace for your watch here is over. Walk in heaven's beat and guide us all to protect and serve others safely.

Grandma & Grandpa Minnie
Parents of a Kern County Deputy who recently lost his partner

September 22, 2004

Officer Attaway,
Thanks for being part of the fight to keep our country safe to live in. Several people in this area died from Hurricane Ivan and I will keep your family & theirs in my prayers as I know the pain they are feeling. I pray that God will help them through the rest of their lives without you. May you be in heaven right now with Calvin. You will never be forgotten.

Denise
Survivor of Trooper Calvin E. Taylor

September 21, 2004

I pray that your family and friends fine comfort in the heart felt reflections left on these pages by your extended Law Enforcement family. May your spirit have a joyous homecoming. Go rest high on the Mountain!

D/Sgt. Vencent Woods
State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

September 21, 2004

On behalf of the men and women who serve and work for the Georgia Perimeter college police Department, our thoughts and prayers are with Senior Patrol Agent Travis Attaway's family, friends, and co-workers with the United States Department of Homeland Security-Customs and Border Protection.

Officer Johns
Georgia Perimeter College Police Department

September 21, 2004

Rest in peace Agent Attaway. You will never be forgotten.

Ashley Drury
Clare, Michigan

September 21, 2004

To the family, friends and fellow Agents of Agent Attaway. We hold you close in our hearts, we know your pain and are thinking of you.

The family of Dave Grant EOW 5/31/04
Tuolumne Co. Sheriff's Dept.

September 21, 2004

Our thoughts and prayers go out to your family, friends and fellow officers. May God grant them peace and understanding in this tragedy.We also pray for the third agent as he will need emotional healing. You died protecting America and that makes you a hero. Rest in peace sir.

Captain Robert W. Cannon; Retired
Vermilion County Illinois Sheriff's Dept.

September 21, 2004

His form was of the manliest beauty,/ His heart was kind and soft;/ Faithful below he did his duty,/ But now he 's gone aloft.
Charles Dibdin (1745 - 1814) English dramatist, songwriter

Patrol Deputy
Liberty County Sheriff's Office

September 21, 2004

You are remembered Agent Attaway. May God comfort your family & friends.

Senior Trooper Keith Miller
Oregon State Police

September 21, 2004

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and co-workers of Agent Attaway. God, welcome home another hero.

Jimmy E. Bartley
Beaumont, TX Police Dept.

September 21, 2004

The members of the 67th Precinct Anti-Crime Unit with to extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of Agent Attaway.

Having just lost two Detectives from our precinct last week, we know all to well what you are going through right now.

Stay strong. The law enforcement community is with you.

67th Precinct Anti-Crime Unit
New York City Police Department

September 21, 2004

“When God made Peace Officers….”

When the lord was creating Peace Officers, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”

And the Lord said, Have you read the spec on this order? A Peace Officer has to be able to run five miles through alleys in the dark, scale walls, enter homes the health inspector wouldn’t touch, and not wrinkle their uniform.

They have to be able to sit in an undercover car all day on a stakeout, cover a homicide scene that night, canvass the neighborhood for witnesses, and testify in court the next day.

They have to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee and half- eaten meals. And they have to have six pairs of hands.

The angel shook her head slowly and said, “Six pairs of hands….No Way.”

“It’s not the hands that are causing me the problems,” said the Lord, “It’s the three pairs of eyes an officer has to have.”

That’s on the standard model? asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. One pair that sees through a bulge in a pocket before he asks, “May I see what’s in there sir?” (When they already know and wishes they had taken that accounting job.) Another pair here in the side of their head for their partners’ safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, “ You’ll be alright ma’am, when they know it isn’t so.”

“Lord,” said the angel, touching his sleeve,” rest and work tomorrow.”

“I can’t,” said the Lord, “I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk into a patrol car without incident and feed a family of five on civil service paycheck.”

The angel circled the model of the Peace Officer very slowly, “Can it think?” she asked.

“You bet,” said the Lord, “It can tell you elements of a hundred crimes, recite Miranda warnings in it’s sleep; detain, investigate, search, and arrest a gang member on the street in less time than it takes five judges to debate the legality of the stop…and still it keeps it’s sense of humor.

This officer also has phenomenal personal control. They can deal with crime scenes painted in HELL, coax a confession from a child abuser, comfort a murder victim’s family’ and then read in the daily paper how Law Enforcement isn’t sensitive to the rights of criminal suspects.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the Peace Officer. “There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model.”

“That’s not a leak,” said the Lord, “It’s a tear.”

“What’s the tear for?” asked the angel.

“It’s for bottled-up emotions, for fallen comrades, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the American flag, and for justice.”

“You’re a genius,” said the angel.

The Lord looked sober. “I didn’t put it there,” he said.


Anonymous

Senior Instructor
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

September 21, 2004

May you rest in peace now that you are in a safer place. May you watch over all of us to help guide us thru the day. May you be remembered for who you are, and the lives you touched.
God rest for you are not forgotten.

Inspector PA Gust
United States Customs Service-Detroit

September 21, 2004

Pride Integrity and Guts

Some of you may know my face, but not my name. Most of you have seen me around the city and some have even met me, but not always under the best of circumstances. Some of you have even spoken to me on the phone, when you called me while I was working.

Most of you have an opinion on how my job should be done, but would never take my job if it was the last one on earth. And some of you who don't even know me, hate me because of my job. But when I go to my job, I go to make a difference and so I can fight what everyone else fears.

When most would be running away from danger, my job requires me to run towards it. I do this in the hopes of making a difference for someone else I don't even know. Most people say I make too much money, because my pay is published in the newspaper. But don't think twice about hearing about another sports player sign a 20 million dollar contract for 6 months a year of playing a "game."

Since my job's base pay isn't the best I must work extra to pay the bills. Including working extra shifts on holidays, and pick up side work at construction sites as well on my days off, most still complain thinking I am greedy, but don't they realize that I to must pay taxes, have a mortgage car payments and kids in collage as well?

Don't they understand that I am not paid for what I do, but for what I am willing to do for them? After all how can you properly compensate someone to risk their own life and face danger everyday they go to work?

And when I go to work I am punched, kicked, spit on and called every name in the book for doing my job. And every night I leave my house to go to work I realize I may not come back home in the morning. Because when I go to work I can be stabbed, shot, drown, fall, be electrocuted, or die in a car accident rushing to help you.

My job also requires me to carry special "tools" to help me do my job. Sometimes even while doing my job I have to defend myself from someone attacking me. Although, the newspapers will report to you that I "beat someone down", and not that I defended myself from an attack.

While at work I must also carry a gun to protect you, but should I have to use it, the media reports to you that I "gunned someone down" or that I "shot and killed" somebody, and not that I defended myself. Don't they realize that I shoot to live and never to kill?

Also when I go to work I wrap a protective vest around me to help keep me safe through my shift. I use this vest so that I will be allowed to live to the end of my work day. And hope and pray that should something bad happen that this vest helps keep me alive so that I will be allowed to see my children grow.

When I go to my job, I will see more pain, sorrow, agony, death and destruction in one month than most of you will see in an entire lifetime.


And to the ones who don't know me, I unforunetly will meet most of you at the worst times in your life.

You often will call me to come help you out with a problem. But if you have a really big problem you can get me at a special 3 digit number and me and my coworkers will race to your house, just to help you no questions asked. All you have to do is call and we will be there for you, no matter what time, day, night or holiday, rain shine or blizzard.

Sometimes my job also requires me to deliver lectures, babies and even bad news. I am also the one required to ring your doorbell in the middle of the night, swallow hard and advise you that a loved one will not be coming home tonight, then I spend the rest of my shift wondering why I ever took such a job.

Some people even refer to me as a "pig," but when I hear that word called to me or one of my coworkers I think of Pride, Integrity and Guts, which everyone in my profession needs to do this job.

Me and my coworkers must be able to have muscles of steel, have a sense of humor and put ourselves into dangerous situations and face danger head on all in a days work.

We must act in a second and make a decision in the blink of an eye, and spend the rest of our life hoping we made the right choice in that split second. If not we can be arrested and charged with breaking a law, be sued for violating someone's rights, or end up with even a worse fate.

My job requires me to take an oath to be their and to risk my life to protect you. And it is an oath that me and my fellow coworkers have taken and is one that we will not break.

What, you ask is my job, I am your local police officer. And what do I ask in return of doing all this and risking my life for you, nothing at all because it is my job and my hope, of being the one who makes the difference.




Officer Dave Carroll
Choctaw Oklahoma

September 21, 2004

Our deepest sympathy to the family of Senior Patrol Agent Travis W. Attaway and the United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection...our hearts and prayers are with you all...... Thank you for a job well done Travis... rest in peace as you continue your watch from the heavens......your memory will never be forgotten...

God Bless....Be Safe..... and wear your vests...

Vin, Pook and all of us at beyond-the-blue

Vinman and Pooky -Site Owners
beyond-the-blue

September 21, 2004

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