Dec 21, 2006 9:59 pm US/Central
Second Death, Second Look At Public Memorial
by Joel Thomas
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News) ―
The death of Fort Worth Police Officer Dwayne Freeto has some worried about the sacrifices of fallen officers being forgotten.
"All of us still have vivid memories at this very same time last year when we grieved of another loss, that of Officer Hank Nava," Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief said at the funeral of Officer Freeto.
A year ago the death of Hank Nava also came with a nagging thought; the city had no public memorial to its fallen officers and firefighters.
"I find that somewhat embarrassing for a city not only of our size but our spirit," Mayor Moncrief continued.
Today, Officer Nava's wife Teresa is proud to show the cabinet of collected memorabilia dedicated to her late husband. "Here he's got a Medal of Honor that was given to us in Washington, D. C. It means a lot, you know, we're never going to forget him. Just having all this and just seeing it… police career was his life," she said.
Plans call for a public place for others to remember their passion.
But despite a year's worth of fundraising, the memorial is almost half-a-million dollars short of its goal.
As Mayor Moncrief puts it, after two police deaths, the city has got to step up and build a memorial.
"I don't want it for selfish reasons," Nava said. "I mean, yes, I want it because my husband's name will be there. It will give me a place to go, my children a place to go, and they'll take they're children there one day. It will be a place where his name and all the other names of officers are on the wall."
This is a message heard a year ago, and it is a nagging echo today.
(CBS 11 News)
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