Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Corrections Memorial topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Acting DOJ official honors fallen Federal Bureau of Prisons officers at memorial
Summary
At the 2018 National Correctional Workers Week memorial service, Acting Assistant Attorney General John Cronin and Federal Bureau of Prisons officials honored 26 correctional employees who died in the line of duty, read several names and facilities, and framed the work of corrections as essential to public safety.
Frank Bridal, assistant director for the correctional programs division of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, opened the 2018 National Correctional Workers Week Memorial Service and announced John Cronin as the guest speaker.
John Cronin, acting assistant attorney general for the criminal division of the Department of Justice, said on behalf of the DOJ that "our country is safer today and it will be safer in the future because of the many important contributions of our Bureau of Prisons correctional officers and employees." He honored Officer Boyd H. Spykerman’s memory, service and family, saying Spykerman’s loss remains poignant decades later.
The program included the national anthem and a prayer led by a staff member that asked attendees to "remember, honor, and celebrate the sacrificial service of our 26 Federal Bureau of Prisons correctional colleagues, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country." Frank Bridal read names, dates and facilities for several fallen colleagues, including Officer Boyd H. Spykerman (01/29/1984, FCI Oxford); Robert F. Miller (10/12/1987, USP Louisville); and Andrew Washington D'Antonio (12/22/1994, USB Atlanta).
Organizers framed the ceremony as a formal recognition of the risks correctional staff face and the role those employees play in enforcing laws and upholding the justice system. The service concluded with Frank Bridal thanking attendees for joining the memorial.
The transcript uses several variant spellings for Officer Spykerman’s name; this article uses the consistent form "Boyd H. Spykerman" and notes that the transcript alternates spellings. The program did not specify a venue or the exact calendar date beyond its observance as part of 2018 National Correctional Workers Week.
