Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Deputy Sheriff Brandy Lyn Winfield

Marion County Sheriff's Department, Ohio

End of Watch Thursday, October 14, 2004

Leave a Reflection

Reflections for Deputy Sheriff Brandy Lyn Winfield

"The Badge"

He starts his shift each day
To respond to calls unknown.
He drives a marked patrol car.
A police officer he is known.

He's paid by the citizens' taxes
To make it safe on the streets.
But he usually has a second job
'Cause a waitress has his salary beat.

Now he doesn't know a holiday
'Cause he works all year round.
And when Thanksgiving and Christmas finally arrive
At his home he cannot be found.

He's cursed and assaulted often,
The one whos blood runs blue.
He seldom ever gets a thanks,
To some he's just a fool.

His friends are always other cops
'Cause people just don't understand
That underneath his badge and gun,
He's just another man.

He knows there might not be a tomorrow
In this world of drugs and crime.
And he gets so mad at the court system
'Cause the crooks don't get any time.

And each day when he leaves for work,
He prays to God above.
Please bring me home after my shift
So I can see the ones I love.

But tonight he stops a speeding car,
He's alone down this ole' highway.
It's just a little traffic infraction.
He does it everyday.

Well, he walks up to the driver's window,
And his badge is shining bright.
He asked the guy for a driver's license,
When a shot rang through the night.

Yes, the bullet hit its mark,
Striking the officer in the chest.
But the Department's budget didn't buy
Each officer a bullet-proof vest.

So he lay on the ground bleeding.
His blood wasn't blue - His blood was red.
And briefly he thought of his loved ones
'Cause in a moment the officer was dead.

In the news they told the story
Of how this officer had died.
And some who listened cared less,
But those who loved him cried.

Well, they buried him in uniform
With his badge pinned on his chest.
He even had his revolver,
He died doing his best.

Written By:
David L. Bell
Sergeant
Richland County Sheriff's Department
Columbia, South Carolina
Used with Special Permission of the Author
Copyright © 1999 - All Rights Reserved
and may not be duplicated without permission

Investigator David L Bell
Richland County Sheriff's Dept., Columbia, SC

January 3, 2008

Happy New Year 2008

You will not still thought about every day & not forgotten

a friend.......

January 1, 2008

Happy New Year Brandy!!!

December 31, 2007

Happy New Year Bran!!

December 31, 2007

Brandy,

Have a very Merry Christmas!!

Love,
Barb & John

December 24, 2007

Well Bran have'nt wrote for a while after the house fire everything has went down the drain, well the only thing i can do is keep going strong, you know i only learned that from the best (our family) i made signs up for c.j and about 7 of us was on 423 when they drove by c.j just smiled and smiled. that was great sure a good feeling seeing him smile. well we are in the process of rebuilding our house should be done in 8 weeks i hope. i'm begining to think that oct is a bad month for our family. i think i would rather just sleep thru it and wake up in setember. oh well wanted to write and say hello and love you and if i don't get to write till after christmas well then........

HAVE A VERY WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR IN HEAVEN THERE (KLINK)
love and miss you alot your wonderful i can always count on you for a smile.

Love Manda Ann

December 20, 2007

Bran
Still miss and think about you everyday.

December 11, 2007

glad to hear that cory is coming along so well. keep staying strong and being the dedicated wife, lindsey! i have heard nothing but wonderful things about you and your family. cory will benefit from such loving care! i am sure that brandy would be right next to cory's side if he could be here with us. i continue to pray for the family and cory's healing.

friend of the family

November 26, 2007

Enjoy that big feast in heaven.

November 21, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving Bran!!!

November 21, 2007

So much time has gone by. So many things have changed, some for the good, others not so great. People have passed away, and babies have been born. The one thing that hasn't changed is the fact that you are not forgotten. Your sacrifice continues to be remembered by hundreds of people. Many think of you everyday.

Those that have lost you and mourned you have found happiness in other parts of their lives, but will continue to miss you. We will see you again when you meet us at those lovely gates. That will be a joyful day!

November 20, 2007

Hey Bran

Yell REAL LOUD for our Buckeyes!!
Thanks for keeping a watch on your family.

GO BUCKS!!!!!

November 16, 2007

hey, i'm hopefully starting police acadmey soon, thanks to your dad if thiers a seat for me in the class. i still pray for you and your family, your dad says cory is doing so much better. well till next time.
cory. s

hopeful police cadet
family friend

November 13, 2007

Very well said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You continue to be an amazing person Sara! It's been along time since you wrote
and were glad you did =) God bless!

November 10, 2007

Bran,

I know I said I was going to stop leaving reflections and focus on living life. However I want to order a keepsake book and wanted the last reflection in the book to be from me.

Your little guys are growing up so fast....

Landon is doing awesome at school and has the same enthusiam for life that you always had. He works so hard to impress his teachers and all the adults important in his life. He loves all sports. He did so good at football this year. Of course baseball is one of his favorites, he is a Winfield after all. There are those moments that I look at him and see so much of you. Every mannerism and so many traits...it is unreal at times. He is such a sweet boy and misses you so much. He doesn't want anyone at school to know his Daddy died. He makes up stories about how you are going to pick him up from school. He just tries so hard to fit in with the other kids. It is heartbreaking at times. I know how heartbroken he is over you and at times I cry myself to sleep thinking about that heartbroken little boy. I know that in the end life will turn out wonderful for him and we have such a wonderful support system to help him along. But that doesn't change the hurt inside all of us. I want so badly to fix all of this for him and I can't...Mommy's fix things, they kiss away the pain and make it all better and I can't do that here. All I can do is focus on the life we are living and know that he will always know how much you loved him and wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.

Not only does my heart break for Landon but Tyler as well. I know he has very few memories of you. He didn't even get a second birthday with you. He makes up stories about the things you did together. I let him beleive it is true and add real memories to it for him. Next year he will be off to Kindergarten and I can't even beleive it. He is too smart for his own good and acts much older than his four years at times. Of course it has been a rough four years so I know why he does it. He has such a bravado about him but is really just a little Mama's boy at heart. He excels at sports. You wouldn't beleive the little baseball player he turned out to be in T-ball. I am moving him up to coach pitch next year. I have no doubt he will give those older boys a run for their money. Out on the field this year he was talking smack to all the other 4 year olds and it just cracked me up.

While your death has been so hard on Landon, Cory's accident has devastated Tyler. He didn't remember the ER with you and all that happened. Unfortunatley they were at your parents when Cory was hit and were there that night. That was a rough night, walking back into that ER into the same trauma bay from Oct 14 and picking up my two little boys, the phone call from your Dad alone about gave me a heart attack. I pray that we never go through any of this again, we can't take much more. Tyler has been so upset. Tyler has always been Cory and Lindsay's little guy, he always went to their house while Landon stayed with your Mom and Dad. So much tragedy has been present in their life that at times I just don't know what to do for them. The goood thing is that they get to watch Cory on the road to recovery and know not every tragedy has a sad outcome....They love to watch him at therapy and I know it raises Cory's spirits to have the boys there.

I was on the road the other day on my way to a presentation when thoughts of you just caught up to me. It was hard to breathe and I almost had to pull over. I think of you everyday, usually laughing about something you used to say or do...but this for some reason just overcame me with sadness and how much I miss so many of the things you did. I miss you so much...I don't think I can even put it into words. I try so hard to make life positive and focus on moving forward but at times it is hard....I am doing it though.

I better be going Tyler and Crash Bandicoot are waiting for me. Yes...I still play that stupid game and I even have Tyler loving it. Tyler wants to write something......


yudry80[i8j8uyytyiiikddlrkllklkk

I love you Daddy and I miss my Daddy so much....is what he said he wanted to say.

We love you.....

Sara, Landon, and Tyler

Sara

November 8, 2007

hang in there lindsey....cory will be better and home to you soon!! you both will be able to deal with everything together, and that is all that matters in the end!!! i know you both so well and know your love is stronger than anything that could try to intervene. sara, hello to you and the boys and hope all is well in your lives as well. i know those boys are growing into fine young men!

a friend

November 1, 2007

Bran, I hope this reflection finds your family well and continuing to heal. I hope your brother is getting better with each passing day and that your parents continue to be brave =) Happy Holloween to your sweet boys and Sara.

October 31, 2007

BRAN

THINKING OF YOU TODAY AND ALWAYS

October 27, 2007

Brandy,

Hey, was at OPOTA for the last couple weeks and spent what seems like hours in the memorial thinking about you and Keith Dressel. I've got this idea in my head that you two might just be hanging out!!! I can only hope so. Anyways....I've been thinking about ya and wanted to leave a note. Keep watching out for us bro.

Doug

October 26, 2007

Watching the Ohio State game,and thinking of you.

October 20, 2007

Hey, buddy. I wanted to write you on the 14th, but I didn't want to give that date any more power than it already has. I know that you know I was thinking about you that day, I even talked to a few of our mutual friends that day and we exchanged a few Brandyisms.
It's hard to believe it's been 3 years, it still seems a little unreal at times.
I love and miss you, buddy and your family and true friends damned sure still think about you.

MC
Hilliard, OH

October 16, 2007

God bless your family now and always!!!!!

October 15, 2007

Still miss you and think of you and everyone affected EVERYDAY!!

October 14, 2007

Hey Brandy, thinking about you alot today. I can't believe that it has been 3 years. Sometimes I think that was the longest and worst day of my life. Me and everyone else. I say this all the time, but so much has happened in those three years. So much has changed.
Landon and Tyler are getting sooooo big. I saw Tyler the other day and he just talked and talked and Landon..well he looks exactly like you, especially his ornary smile.
I don't like thinking of today as an anniversary...it's just to hard to think back to that day and all the events that went on...but I still think about you alot Brandy. I know that you are always watching out for the guys and especially now on Cory. You are and always will be a hero in all of our eyes.

A friend

October 14, 2007

Hard to believe that its been 3 years, not a day goes by that I dont think about you. Miss you and love ya.

October 14, 2007

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