Peace Officers Memorial Day - Thin Blue Line
| Category: | Holidays |
|---|---|
| Notes: | Observed annually on May 15, part of National Police Week. Flags fly at half-staff all day unless May 15 also falls on Armed Forces Day. |
| Notes: | Introduced by President Kennedy in 1962. |
May 15 is Peace Officers Memorial Day, the centerpiece of National Police Week. On this day, we remember the law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty - people who put on a uniform each day knowing the risks, and who chose to serve anyway.
Scouts understand duty and service. But think about what it takes to be a police officer, a sheriff's deputy, or a state trooper: you're trained to run toward danger rather than away from it. When something goes wrong in a neighborhood, you show up. When someone calls for help at 3 in the morning, you go. That takes a kind of courage that goes beyond a merit badge - it goes all the way to the heart of what it means to be brave and loyal.
A Scout is brave. A Scout is helpful. On Peace Officers Memorial Day, let's honor those who were both, every single day of their careers - and let's ask ourselves how we can serve our own communities with that same spirit.