We hurt, We cry, We want revenge

We are not sure what will happen next or if the pain will ever end

Our hearts are broken, Our eyes filled with tears

Gone in a moment, a husband, a father, a son, a brother of our peers.

We understand the knowledge that we may be asked to pay the price

Our life for that of another, the ultimate sacrifice.

Yet, we never are prepared and will never quite understand

what causes someone to take the life of another, an innocent man.

Born to wear the uniform just like his brother and his dad,

He was one of us, that proudly chose to wear the badge.

If you did not know Brandy in life and would be so inclined

look into his father's eyes and I think you will find

not the person that he was, but the man he longed to be most like.

In his wife Sarah, a confidant, a partner that made him whole

a sounding board, a reflection to mirror, to love and to hold.

Mirrored in his eyes like life's reflecting pools

his sons Landon and Tyler, his little jewels.

Hold his little ones close and keep them safe from harm

In them you will see Brandy's quirks, smiles, and school boys charm.

Talk with them often, teach them honesty, loyalty, respect, and need for compassion

To teach by example was Brandy's Fashion

Tell them how he lived, how he loved, and how he laughed with emotion

Tell them about their dad and his lifelong devotion.

To his sons he was invincible, he was larger than life

If it was broken he would fix it and make everything right.

Their dad was the best, no greater cop could there ever be

Their dad was not just a policeman, he was their hero, a Deputy.

His brothers in law enforcement know he paid the ultimate cost

The silence now is their way of dealing with the loss.

Standing beside us in the shadows to the bitter end

revel in Brandy's vigilance, his need to protect and defend.

For he was more than a brother, a confidant, a friend

He was one of us, a policeman, he was all of them.

John Wayne once said

"Courage is being scared, but doing it anyway."

A memorial not only to Brandy L. Winfield

July 19, 1975 - Oct. 14, 2004

But to those of us in law enforcement, left behind to answer the call of duty.

Lt. Neil D. Riedlinger

Wyandot County Sheriff's Office

October 2004