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President-elect Donald Trump joined Florida leaders in honoring three fallen law enforcement officers including special memories of the men.

Tuesday, a solemn assembly gathered in the Sunshine State for the memorial of three fallen members of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. It was there that the lives of Corporal Luis Paez, Deputy Sheriff Ralph “Butch” Waller, and Deputy Sheriff Ignacio “Dan” Diaz were honored and their families were comforted following a tragic accident.

Seated silently on the stage beside his son, Eric Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, and State Attorney General Ashley Moody, the president-elect listened intently as the heroes were memorialized.

Along with members of PBSO speakers included Florida Rep. Brian Mast, Deputy Sheriff Diaz’s daughter Alexandria Diaz and his nephew Eric Caballero.

“My dad treated every day like it was his last. He loved getting on that bike every day. Coincidentally, this was his favorite time of year because it wasn’t hot. He loved getting on the motorcycle in these days,” Diaz recounted.

She also explained, “He took great pride in being in the motorcade whenever you were in Palm Beach.”

“He loved it. He always talked about it. And he always looked forward to it,” added Diaz as Caballero offered, “My uncle — I always got a picture of him with you, no matter what motorcade it was, no matter where it was, he made a point to send it to me. And he truly respected you.”

According to the Palm Beach Post, the line-of-duty deaths occurred as the men waited on the side of the road for assistance with one of their disabled motorcycles. It was at that time that a vehicle veered into them after an attempt to pass another vehicle, overcorrecting and leading to the collision. No charges had been filed at the time of the memorial.

Along with the speeches, the tribute included the procession of three riderless horses in front of the stage before the flags draped over the caskets were folded to an instrumental playing of “Amazing Grace” by bagpipers and drummers.

Those flags were conveyed to the waiting family members prompting a firearm salute, trumpeter, and a helicopter flyover ahead of a moment of radio silence that concluded with the “10-7” as their end of watch was announced.

Following the memorial, Trump was seen spending time with each of the families as he paid tribute to the service of their loved ones.

“They were not timid,” said Mast during his speech. “They were lions.”

The ceremony came to a close with another performance of “Amazing Grace” that included a singer accompanied by a piano and cello, and can be viewed below via the PBSO YouTube channel:

(Video Credit: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office)

Kevin Haggerty
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