Story Created:
Jul 24, 2008 at 7:08 AM EST
Story Updated:
Jul 24, 2008 at 7:21 AM EST
It took the thousands of mourners more than 90 minutes to travel the 4 miles from church to gravesite. As officers from all over the state gathered to say goodbye to man many of them never knew. Hundreds of motorcycles, cars, vans, and fire trucks from all over Florida filed in one by one. The distance traveled? For some, great. The reason was simple: to honor a fallen brother.
Once each and every officer was in place, Officer Andrew Widman's casket was transported to the gravesite. One final salute to his memory.
Six helicopters from local agencies flew over the gravesite. One peeled away, representing the missing man a fallen brother.
But it's the silent response to a final call that speaks the loudest. A final radio call for Officer 413, Andrew Widman goes unanswered. But as Major Doug Baker stated, Officer Widman is "gone, but not forgotten."