Fort Hamilton honors fallen cops in wreath-laying ceremony

Honoring the fallen.

Fort Hamilton Army Base hosted its Wreath Laying Ceremony during Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week.

On Friday, May 19, families of officers who were killed in the line of duty were in attendance to remember and honor their sacrifice for their country.

Among the those in attendance were William and Michelle McNaughton, parents of Staff Sergeant and NYPD officer James McNaughton, who was killed in Iraq in 2005, and Leon Taylor, father of sergeant and officer Deon Taylor, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2008.

Taylor told this paper that the ceremony meant a lot to him. “It was a lovely event, a beautiful day, and a lovely ceremony and it’s a great I get to meet the McNaughton family,” he said. “When something like that happens, you never forget. It’s not like someone got sick. It feels like yesterday. That was his second tour over there in Afghanistan. That’s something he wanted to do though I didn’t want him to.”

“Today we pay homage to the sacrifice of those men and women in uniform,” said Michael Canter, the fort’s director of emergency services. “If you look behind me, you’ll see something up on the building. That’s the MP Regimental Crest and those who come up through the ranks, that is knocked into us day in and day out, assist, protect, and defend. That’s what we do and everyone in uniform, we all do this. And ultimately sometimes it comes with a price and today is about remembering those that have paid the price.”

Guest speaker police officer and military liaison Joe Strong discussed the significance of the day. “I don’t think people here really understand how much the NYPD and military have in common,” he said. “At any given time, the NYPD has approximately 1,300 members of the National Guard reserve currently on active service. We have about 6,000 veterans in the NYPD, most of whom are veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

That’s nothing new. “In the Civil War, NYPD volunteers manned the 133rd Infantry Regiment, also known as the Metropolitan Police Brigade,” Strong added. “Forty three members of the NYPD were killed in action and another 79 died from disease and injury during the Civil War. Upon their return, many patrolmen swapped their military blue uniforms for NYPD blue. They pulled off the eagles and U.S. brass on the uniforms and replaced them with the brass of the city seal. Today, you will see NYPD uniforms dark blue with the brass.”

The names of officers that had died in action were recited during the ceremony.

“I want to thank the Taylor and McNaughton families for coming today and for taking time out,” said Garrison Commander Colonel Peter Sicoli. “We could never thank you enough for all the sacrifices you have made for our nation and this is the least we can do to pay our respects to you and your loss. This was an outstanding event. I’m very proud of the efforts made and the respect we showed to the families of the fallen.”

The 68th Precinct Community Council donated the special wreath. “It’s an honor,” said Police Officer Michael Panepinto. “We’re always willing to help with the fort. We work hand in hand.”