Today, back in a small town in Pennsylvania, very near where I grew up, a man was laid to rest. This man, is a hero in many different rights. He was an Iraq war veteran, a police officer, a volunteer fire fighter, a local man supporting his community. He was also a K-9 officer with an amazing partner. He began his employment with the Berks County Sheriff's Department in 2006 and helped start the K-9 unit for that department. This officer was simply performing his duties on this fateful morning, attempting with his partner and other members of a task force, to serve a warrant on a subject that was 25 years old, and wanted on charges among which were of burglary, criminal trespassing, and terroristic threats. When they approached the house and began speaking with the subjects girlfriend, he ran out of the back door, armed with an AK-47. He fired shots and made threats to kill himself, and left behind a suicide note. Being the K-9 unit, our hero began , with his partner Jynx, to track the suspect. When they found the suspect, he opened fire, fatally wounding our hero, officer's returned fire, striking the suspect and later he also perished from his injuries. The hero, Deputy Kyle Pagerly, was only 28 years old. He left behind a wife who along with her now deceased husband, had just found out they were expecting their first child. This is a something that for is very near and dear to my heart. I worked with fellow officers and fire fighters in my old job as a emergency dispatcher. From way back in elementary school, my father and uncle and cousin were involved with the local volunteer fire departments. I grew up, learning to serve my neighbors in this capacity. I was an EMT and volunteered and multiple community ambulance organizations. I was a member of my local volunteer fire department on the ladies auxiliary and in the capacity of fund raising and the business side of the workings. I grew up with no biological brothers, but had more older brothers than any person can handle. Emergency Services is a family. Whether you are in law enforcement, fire fighting, emergency medicine, emergency communications, or any other area of mix, once you are there, there is a bond among you that lasts a lifetime. I have been through more deaths, lost more friends, more "family" than I would ever want anyone to go through. I can tell you though, at any point, I stand among a brotherhood and sisterhood of people that will stand proud and honor their fallen family member for all the days to come, and that you will never find anywhere else. It can be the officer you work with everyday, or an officer from a city 3000 miles away, when it happens, it touches and wounds each and every one of us. I may no longer have the capabilities to be actively involved in the day to day happenings, but I pray everyday that they all come home to their families safe. That god watches over them, and guides them safely through their hours while they are in service. I ask that he give wisdom to my old coworkers that they can think on their feet and be able to handle and assist in any type of chaos or emergency. I ask that he help them remember all available resources and how to get them there the fastest and at the time of need, that he holds them strong and steady! These people deserve the utmost respect. This hero deserved more, and today, he was bid farewell, by family, friends, coworkers, brothers in service, and his partner, Jynx. I know this was hard for many close friends of mine. We have just gone through a similar farewell in May, a natural cause death, but still of a young man, only 36, who served his country, his community, and made a huge impact. I am putting this on here to ask for prayers. If there is anyone out there that I know can pray, it is my fellow spoonies! Please pray for peace for his family, his friends and his brothers and sisters in service. Pray for his wife and unborn child. Pray that memories and smiles soon replace nightmares and tears. I have placed links to numerous tributes for this young hero on here. Please watch them. Please take time to think about your local emergency providers. Saying thank you to them, makes it all worth while for them. A simple smile, a small wave, or a thank you is an extremely small price to pay for someone who is willing to risk their life for you. Again, like I always say, I want to thank all those men and women out there, that take time to protect the masses. The ones that volunteer to keep everyone safe, who, on their own time, take time to care and protect my family. In my eyes you are all amazing. This includes all those fighting overseas to keep us safe. Deputy Kyle Pagerly, you did not die in vain. We will learn, we will rethink, we will hopefully as a community, a people, work harder to deal with those who feel it is their right to take people away and break the law. We will remember you, and honor your memory to the best of our abilities. R.I.P. sir, the others will take your watch from here. You have done your job, and done it well. E. O. W. 6-29-2011
One note, they are collecting donations for the unborn child, through the Babies R Us in
2789 PAPER MILL ROADREADING PA 19610P: (610)373-7174
If you care to make any donations, please mail them to one of the stores, such as a gift card and place the info as for Kyle Pagerly infant donation on it.
Hi Everyone, I truly hope you are feeling well enough to spend some time celebrating July 4th weekend with friends and family. I am doing just that. Wearing my self out in the process and reaching pain levels I did not know where possible, but hey, it is a holiday and we have friends down I don't get to see often. Plus my oldest son is here and except for a slight melt down tonight, everyone is getting along and having a great time. You do have to expect some minor altercations when you bring family together. If you have a family that can stay under the same roof, that normally does not, add in a few more extra people and do not have any issues, I desperately would love your secret!!!! We had an awesome picnic tonight, grilled some hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken breasts. Then had home made Amish Macaroni salad, homemade cucumber and onion salad, cole slaw, fresh from the farm tomatoes and corn on the cob. Lots of conversation and laughter. How can you beat it. Well let me tell you how, you celebrate a birthday!! Last year we were on vacation at this time, in Ocean City, Maryland. Well it just so happens as of August last year I relocated to Selbyville, Delaware just about 20 minutes away from Ocean City. Then in February was relocated again to Bethany Beach, De. I am now living exactly 10 miles from the Apartment building where we stayed on vacation last year. So this year, most of the people that came on vacation with us, came to stay at my house instead of somewhere else this week. Even though we won't be here for the exact birth date, we started a tradition and wanted to continue it this year. So we decided celebrating the birthday was going to be part of our weekend. Last year, we snuck and my husband and I decorated a cake for a girl who we now count as our daughter. She is actually the fiance' of a friend of ours son. He too is thought by us to be our son, so of course we love his fiance just as much as we love him. So this year we decorated her birthday cake again. I love to decorate cakes. It truly is a passion of mine. One that I can do fairly limitedly now do to pain and lessening strength in my hands, so when I get a chance to do one, and my husband is around to help, we jump at it. Of course like last year, it had to be a beach themed cake. For heaven's sake we are "vacationing" at the beach. Last year we did not have it quite so easy, since we had to bake the cake and transport it from Pennsylvania to the vacation destination, keep it a secret, and then decorate it in a unfamiliar kitchen with none of our regular tools, since of course, half way here I realized I had forgotten all my decorating necessities on the table in my kitchen at home. This year we had a better time, in our own home with the right stuff, making the cake. We made rice krispie treats in the shape of a sand castle, using sand toys, and graham cracker crumbs for sand. We had goldfish graham crackers for our fish in the ocean and used taffy to make a beach ball and beach towels. We had a ball making it, and just as much fun eating it. The best part, Mandy loved it. So here is a picture of the cake, my hands and arms hurt like crazy, I am incredibly wiped out, but for the smiles and fun we had, it is all worth it.
Sometimes it is just all worth it in the end when you get a smile. Now, we have to start thinking about how we are going to top it next year. Please take time to enjoy your holiday. Remember those fighting for our freedom. Be thankful for the flag and what it stands for. Be kind to yourself, rest, do not push to much, and just let it happen. Gentle Hugs and Happy 4th of July!
