Student blog Series #3 – In Honour of the Fallen

March 12, 2011

I read something a little while ago that made me feel humble and at the same time inspired.

It was the story of Erin Orchakovsky. Erin’s husband Artem “James” Orchakovsky was a Peel Regional Police Constable and was tragically killed in a car collision whilst on duty. A heart wrenching story for any victims and their families, but it was clear that Erin had a massive amount of love and respect for her husband.

That respect also reached over to all the servicing police officers in Canada and as a result Erin decided to join the annual National Police Memorial Run from Toronto. In many respects you would understand it if this poor woman bore some resentment towards the police. Yet she clearly understood the risks of the job and the amazing bravery these men and women display in the line of duty.

Of course such an accident is thankfully a rarity but this can only make it harder for the families of victims to bear. The deep rooted respect for what the police services do for their communities means that many people turn out each year to support the annual run. I know next time I am in Toronto I will be paying my respects at the fallen officer’s memorial.