This is simply a cops( now Mopar brother's )poem that touched my soul as a youg cop in the 80s. I am now 42 and have been to too many cop/ friends funerals. 10-42 means End of watch here in Nevada, I hope it means the same across the country. As stated in the tribute post, I never met Gary. However we spoke many times via the telephone because we obviously had a lot in common being cops and MOPAR crazy at the same time,since the day I left the defunked Dallas page and came here. We spoke of Mopars, cop work and personal hurdles we both had and he asked questions as I am older and have spent my whole life in this job since I was 21. Gary tolded me that if I made his last BBQ that he would make mine out West, we both said yes and we both failed. Please read this with an open mind. And I want to thank all of the people on moparts for the unbelieveable respect and admiration of Gary and police for the job they/ we do. I cant believe how great you people are.

This poem was in PORAC,( A California Nevada cops monthly newspaper) circa 1987 or so.
(written by W.Coffer and D. Baratta) circa 1980s, late 80s.

"All of us know were human,
Well probably make a mistake,
Trusting to luck and the chance we can duck,
if we dont get a decent break.

We tend to fall into patterns,
Forgetting to use our head,
And every once to often,
We have to bury our dead!

All of us hide our emotions,
Bury them deep inside,
Not to display our grief and dismay
is a point of professional pride.
Yet a common felling binds us
Once we have learned to dread,
The bitter taste of ashes
When we are forced to bury our dead!

All of us form the processions
stiffen and shiver at taps,One of us pays, so the bugler plays and we touch our hands to our caps.

At such a time we wonder,
how our kids will be raised and fed,
if we are the subject of honor
when we come to bury out dead.

All of us know who kills us,
But few of us understand why,
The action we crave runs close to the grave
though no body wants to die.

So give us a righteous answer,
Are we wolf born through honor bread?
Or a gaggle of fools who play by the rules,
and forever must burry our dead?

UNLAWFL is now 10-42. Goodbye partner, you have truly made a huge difference, I wish I was 1/10th the person you were! Dave.

my tribute, thanks to your photos, here it is, PLEASE CHECK IT OUR FOR ME! Below


http://www.smithvalleymopars.com/






Nevada Dave/ LAWFISH. DEP. David A. Brown,
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Lake Tahoe, Minden Nevada.

775-720-7574
"

thanks for sharing that dave

Nice tribute LAWFISH. Thanks

Thats great. Thanks , Ron

Very nice Dave, You have honored Gary's memory.

Very nice, Dave.

Tim

Very nice Dave,,,

Nevada Dave,

The sad news of Gary's tragic passing comes as a double shock to me; I just lost a young troop who broke in as a rookie here in Ozona about four years ago. Kurt was killed on May 7 in a wreck on Interstate 10 while on duty. He was a fine young man, the kind of kid that makes one think that the profession will be in good hands after us "old men" retire. I know that I feel old now. Kurt had recently moved to his new duty station and left a young wife and two small children. He was barely 28 years old when we buried him last Tuesday.

I had not even had the time (nor the heart) to get on Moparts since it happened until this evening when I got off patrol. And when I did, I found out about Gary. It made a tough week even tougher. I never met him personally but we swapped e-mails and visited in different posts, much as you and I did back on the old Dallas board. I will keep his friends and family in my family's prayers. I also want to thank you for the poem you posted here, it really hit home for me. I am forwarding it to fellow officers and running off a copy for Kurt's family. No truer words about our way of life has ever been written. I have been working eighteen years now as a single man unit on Interstate and the thoughts expressed in that poem have crossed my mind many times before but not near as eloquently.

Thanks again, 'cause I really needed it. And yeah, "10-42" means the same thing in the Lone Star state.

Your brother-in-arms in West Texas,

Ben H. English
Senior Corporal
Texas Highway Patrol
Ozona, Texas

AKA: "Paladin"

Paladin, there is a name I have not heard in a long time. Not many of us from the Dallas board days around, some on Mopar style I guess.

You have a P.M coming!

Nevada Dave

That poem is very touching. Too many times the common person forgets just what a wonderful and dangerous job officers do in our communities. I salute all the men in blue protecting our streets and morn the lose of our friend. May this be a constant reminder of the tough job the police in our country do.

I did not know Gary Davis. I never talked to him once. He was a good man,husband,son and friend to many. I come from a long line of cops and would like to offer this poem that I have seen at too many funerals for our fallen heroes.

"Just a Cop"
The funeral line was long,
There's an awful lot of cars,
Folks came out of the restaurants,
They came out of the bars.
The workers at the construction sites,
all let their hammers drop.
Someone asked, "What is all this for?"
And they said, "Aw, just a cop."

Some chuckled at the passing cars,
Some shed a silent tear.
Some people said, "It's stupid,"
"all these dumb policemen here."
"How come they're not out fighting crime?"
"Or in a doughnut shop?"
"Sure is a lot of trouble,
For someone who's just a cop."

They blocked the intersections,
They blocked the interstate.
People yelled and cursed,
"Damn, this is gonna make me late!"
"This is really ridiculous!"
"They're making us all stop!"
"It seems they are sure wastin' time,
On someone who's just a cop."

Into the cemetery now,
The slow procession comes.
The woeful Taps are slowly played,
There's loud salutes from guns.
The graveyard workers shake their heads
"This service is a flop."
"There's lots of good words wasted,
On someone who's just a cop."

Yeah, just a cop to most folks.
Did his duty every day.
Trying to protect us,
Until they took his life away.
And when he got to heaven,
Saint Peter put him at the top.
An angel asked him,
"Who was that?"
And he said, "Aw, just a cop."


God Speed UNLAWFL.

Lawfish, Paladin and B1Cuda, thanks for sharing those words and poems. It is such a trajic loss for our law enforcement family and our Moparts family! Gary will be definitley be missed, but always remembered by each of us!!! My condolences to everyone who's life was touched in some manner by Gary.

Michael Gonce
Senior City Marshal
Coppell, TX

Lawfish,thats a very fitting tribute...nice job...

Thanks Dave. That was a wonderful tribute to Gary. We'll all miss his presence greatly.

I am feeling sorry for you Dave.
RIP Gary...
CB

Dave, Very nice tribute to Gary,thanks, Ron....