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1st Vice President Mark Lewis joins one of CAA's major sponsors DynCorp International and the U.S. State Department to represent CIVPOL International Police Advisors at National Police Week events in Washington, D.C. Each May, events are organized by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) to honor law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Principle Deputy Assistance Secretary William McGlynn, Senior Chief Police Advisor Walter Redman, and CEAP Manager Michael Warren attended the NLEOMF Chairman's Dinner Tuesday night. Their purpose was to convey that CIVPOL International Police Advisors (IPA) are at the heart of U.S. transformational diplomacy in post-conflict areas worldwide.
DI Executive Vice President Robert Rosenkranz met with police association board members Wednesday, reaffirming DI’s commitment to those who have served our nation for a safe tomorrow. Afterward, Mr. Rosenkranz met with the U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary Ambassador David T. Johnson and Walter Redman, all of whom met with CIVPOL survivor Christine Kimbrell. Christine’s husband, IPA Leon Vincent (Vince) Kimbrell was killed in Baghdad September 2, 2005, by an IED. Vince, 41, a sergeant and 18-year veteran of the Spartanburg Police Department, is survived by Christine and two daughters, 15 and 19 years old.
As night fell, thousands of attendees assembled on the National Law Enforcement outdoor mall, carrying candles in memory of police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The top law enforcement official and keynote speaker, Attorney General Eric Holder, comforted survivors with words of commemoration and camaraderie during the tearful vigil.
Also during National Police Week, DI contributed to and supported the “Bikers for the Blue” bicycle trek. Each year, officers from Virginia police departments ride from the state capitol building in Richmond to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. Their motto: We ride for those who died. Officer Brian Rhodenizer of the Chesterfield County Police Department, one of the lead bikers, served with DI in Iraq as an International Police Advisor.
CIVPOL Alumni Association 1st Vice President Mark Lewis and Christine Kimbrell finished this year’s National Police week with an even stronger commitment to having the NLEOMF recognize and honor IPAs who are killed in action. Mark and Christine met with Congressman David Reichert, Congressman Paul Ryan’s office staff, and with Concerns of Police Survivors Organization Executive Director Suzie Sawyer, President Eugene Secor, and Brenda Donner. They presented compelling arguments to support the inclusion of CIVPOL IPA names among those inscribed on the National Memorial Wall. |
1ST VP Lewis, Amb Johnson, Kimbrell, Rosenkranz, Redman
Honoring Christine’s loss
Christine Kimbrell and 1st Vice President Lewis
Lighting of the candle in honor of the fallen
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