Deaths in Line of Duty
During the time the Highway Patrol has been in existence the element of danger has always been great. A number of troopers have given their lives in the line of duty.
The first traffic fatality was recorded on July 2, 1929, the day after the Patrol was activated. Patrolman George I. Thompson was killed while riding a motorcycle enroute to his assigned duty station.
The relatives of every member who has worn the uniform of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol have a right to be proud. Every member, past or present, living or dead, has contributed to the success of this great organization.
On May 18, 1986, on the grounds of the State Highway Patrol Training Center, a beautiful stone memorial was unveiled and dedicated to the members of the Patrol who have been killed in the line of duty. The monument's proposal, design and funding was accomplished through the diligent efforts of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol Auxiliary.
Beneath the Badge
By Major Charlie Carden
What lies beneath the starched-ironed shirts and the badges upon their chests? And where do the tears flow when their hearts are broken from the tests?
So often Death will intervene, to carry out its will...But they stare Death coldly in the face, they defy its chilling kill.
You say they lack compassion and they abuse their roles...Do you really think they're cruel? Do you damn their very souls?
Believe me, Sir, they cry within...They choke to hold it down...So, when Death comes to kiss their lips, they'd like to turn around.
For beneath those shirts and polished badges, breathes a special breed of being...With tear-stained hearts and eyes that cry and see what you are seeing.
But then, you - "The Public" - demand their presence; they truly give their best; So, remember them when you kneel down to pray before you rest.
And don't forget those "Little Eyes," who wish they were at home; or the "Worried Hearts" that support them, in a battle that can't be won.
What lies beneath the badges? What makes them take the parts? What absorbs their tears and spills their blood? Their Hearts, my man, their Hearts!
Written by N.C. State Highway Patrol Major C.J. Carden when he was a cadet for the 66th NCSHP Basic School © November 1979.