Procession

At first glance, one might believe they were witnessing a Fourth of July parade. The signs of patriotism were certainly present. From the ladders of two firetrucks hung an American flag over Main Street. Adults held and gently waved American flags. But the mood was not celebratory. It was and is a day of mourning.

A Lexington Police Officer, Bryan J. Durman, was killed in the line of duty on Thursday evening by a hit-and-run driver. Durman, 27, left behind a wife and a four-year-old son. He also left behind a fraternity of blue.

Six hundred police cruisers representing agencies from throughout Kentucky, as well as agencies in Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and South Carolina drove down Lexington's Main Street today. The funeral procession left Southland Christian Church in Jessamine County at around 1:40 p.m. before it circled town on Man-O-War Blvd. before turning left onto Richmond Road for the trip downtown. I watched the procession from the intersection of Main and Mill where two University of Kentucky police officers stood at attention while blocking traffic. The scene was repeated at approximately one hundred intersections throughout Lexington.

Standing near me were attorneys, bankers, civic leaders, parol officers and others who took a time to pay their respects to the fallen officer. For about forty-five minutes, hundreds watched - in silence - as the procession rode by. For that hour, the loudest noise heard was a helicopter which followed the route. I believe that you might have heard a pin drop on Main Street on this Tuesday afternoon.

Knoxville. Evansville. Kippering. New Albany. Louisville. Covington. Ashland. Berea. Richmond. Nicholasville. Madisonville. Hopkinsville. These communities, and so many more, sent their own officers to pay respect. You could feel the fraternity among them. Before the procession, I passed a group of Louisville Metro police talking with members of the KSP. I could see the tears in their eyes.

Incredibly moving. This is how a friend, a few blocks east of I, described the procession. I can not think of two more accurate words to describe these moments.