For 25 years, Kentuckians have gathered to honor fallen officers by adding their names to the Kentucky Law Enforcement Memorial.

Yesterday, ten names were added and a ceremony was held for those who died in the line of duty.

As it has been said, they gave up two lives for their country, the one they were living and the one they would have lived.

My husband loved his job.

He loved his badge.

But more than that, he loved the people he served.

However, we were all the light.

Not calls, but questions or requests for help.

And no matter how tired he was, he showed up.

That was just him always showing up, always putting others before him.

He lost his life doing what he called to do, helping someone else who gave his life of service.

And now it hurts beyond words.

I carry peace and know when he died doing what he believed in.

When we add a name to this memorial, it is more than an act of duty.

It is a sacred vow that these officers sacrifices will never be forgotten.

Today we have the names of two officers we lost in 2024 Sergeant William Marty Jackson of the Winchester Police Department, and Deputy Sheriff Joshua C Phipps of the Russell County Sheriff's Office.

We also add the name of eight historical honorees whose sacrifices will be forever remembered on this memorial in front of me.

We lost Sergeant Marty Jackson on April 14th, 2024.

Sergeant Jackson served nearly 47 years with the Winchester Police Department, eventually being promoted to chief.

Sergeant Jackson retired from the Winchester Police Department as its chief in 2008.

But he decided he wasn't done serving, and just months later he returned to the department on patrol.

Today, we also mourn the loss of Deputy Sheriff Joshua C Phipps of the Russell County Sheriff's Office, whose watch ended September 16th, 2024.

His sheriff, Derek Polston, shared the deputy.

Phipps would always jump in no matter what was going on and would always be there.

He was always kind and he was always brave.

Marty Jackson, Joshua Phipps and the eight historical names that we're adding today William Sadler, William Byrd, David Brannan, Carlo Jones, James Shaw, George Smitty, James Bolen and James Smith are now a part of the other 589 brave men and women whose names are on this memorial.

They paid everything, and so did their families.

The Kentucky Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation continues its research to find the names of every law enforcement officer who died on duty in Kentucky.

It also provides relief and personal family tragedies and scholarship funds for law enforcement officers and their families.