New York City Police Officer Rafael Ramos was what I call an Earth-bound Angel, one who was put on this planet with the sole intent of helping his fellow man.
He not only rode the five boroughs reminding all of the police motto: “To Serve and Protect.” He lived and breathed that message.
For Officer Ramos was about to graduate from a program that produces lay chaplains. With that certification, Officer Ramos would have been able to fulfill what he saw as his calling: ministering to New York’s most vulnerable residents, including victims of domestic violence, elder abuse and those contemplating suicide.
That was Officer Ramos’ dream. Instead, the 40-year-old husband and father of two sons was laid to rest today, as the city and nation remembered and honored one of two police officers senselessly gunned down by a mentally disturbed would-be gangster just before Christmas. Services for Officer Wenjian Liu have not been announced.
During the funeral services today, in a Queens, New York, church filled with, and surrounded by an estimated 25,000 police officers from across the continent, applause rung out when Police Commissioner Bill Bratton announced that he was promoting both deceased officers in rank and making Officer Ramos an honorary police chaplain.
That was Officer Ramos’ dream. Instead, the 40-year-old husband and father of two sons was laid to rest today, as the city and nation remembered and honored one of two police officers senselessly gunned down by a mentally disturbed would-be gangster just before Christmas. Services for Officer Wenjian Liu have not been announced.
During the funeral services today, in a Queens, New York, church filled with, and surrounded by an estimated 25,000 police officers from across the continent, applause rung out when Police Commissioner Bill Bratton announced that he was promoting both deceased officers in rank and making Officer Ramos an honorary police chaplain.
Still, Officer Ramos’s legacy will not be etched with what could have been a lifetime’s worth of accomplishments as a chaplain. It will not end the way he envisioned. But rest assured, his overall impact will not end here, today. For his is a legacy of love and caring, surely is the greatest gift he was meant to leave in his days on Earth, a gift that will keep giving as long as there is a New York City.
"To the Ramos family, we're all lucky to have Rafael," Vice-President Joseph Biden told the congregation at the Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens. "He didn't just have a bible in his locker, he lived it in his heart. He was a cop for all the right reasons.” [BBC.com]
Rest in peace, Officer Ramos. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your love of humanity. I hope you and your family have felt the love coming back to you a million-fold.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/26/nypd-rafael-ramos-chaplain_n_6382584.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
"To the Ramos family, we're all lucky to have Rafael," Vice-President Joseph Biden told the congregation at the Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens. "He didn't just have a bible in his locker, he lived it in his heart. He was a cop for all the right reasons.” [BBC.com]
Rest in peace, Officer Ramos. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your love of humanity. I hope you and your family have felt the love coming back to you a million-fold.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/26/nypd-rafael-ramos-chaplain_n_6382584.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
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