Retired law enforcement personnel honored during breakfast event

NEWLAND — On Saturday morning, May 4, the Avery County Chaplains hosted a breakfast in honor of the retired law officers in the county.

The breakfast was open for all retired law enforcement officers, and was not specific to departments. The breakfast was held to provide an opportunity for the officers to fellowship together, catch up with one another and swap stories.

There are nine chaplains comprising the group, who take turns weekly in pairs to serve on call in the event that there is a crisis or emergency requiring their services.

“We are here to help officers in the time of need,” stated one of Avery’s Chaplains, Chad Cole. “We help with death notifications. Also right now we are allowed to do ride alongs with officers, which gives them a chance to talk or vent in the time of need. We’re just here to support them spiritually. It’s not all (about) wearing a tux, and reading from the Bible or preaching. Most times we don’t even have to speak, but just be there for someone.”

All levels of enforcement were invited, resulting in more than 40 total law enforcement personnel being invited from Avery County, with such names such as longtime former McDowell County Sheriff and current state representative Dudley Greene, as well as local law officers Bob Johnson and freshly retired Byron Clawson participating.

The genesis of the idea for a breakfast honoring retired officers keeping the peace stemmed from a wife of a retired officer who noticed for years after his retirement that he didn’t have the connection with his “brothers” in the force. By holding this breakfast, it gave them all a chance to gather again and be social with one another, instead of being “cooped up” at home. Taking inspiration from the biblical verse of Psalms 133:1, ”Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity”, the breakfast afforded an opportunity for many to come together once more in a laid-back setting with a hearty meal.

“We’d like to recognize Farm Bureau for buying the breakfast, Daniel Boone Inn for catering, and the Senior Center for allowing us to have the event here,” Cole added.

The chaplains group indicated that they would like to see this sort of special gathering continue as a way to pay homage to those who have served, but also would like for other local organizations, such as churches or clubs, to join in the tribute as part of a rotation, potentially on a quarterly basis.