Staff and guests gathered to honor fallen correctional officers across the nation during the annual Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) Memorial Service at the Barry B. Telford Correctional Unit in New Boston Monday, May 5.

The annual event was a time of celebration and mourning, said Warden Michael Feazell. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Telford Unit. It was also ten years after the local prison lost one of their own correctional officers in the line of duty.

“Officer (Timothy) Davidson was taken from us too soon in the line of duty … Officer Davidson gave everything in service to this job and to the people around him. He showed up, not because it was easy, but because it mattered. His sacrifice reminds us that the uniform we wear carries, not just the symbol of authority, but a sign of our willingness to stand in harm’s way for the sake of others,” said Michael Feazel, senior TDCJ warden.

“Working in corrections is often called the silent service. We do not wear capes. We do not ask for headlines. Yet each day, correctional officers step up in a world few outsiders will understand. We face pressure, uncertainty and risks that most people will never fully grasp. We deal with individuals in crisis, environments that are tense and duties that require constant vigilance but this place is more than concrete and steel. It is built on the character of those who serve within.

“It is carried forward each day by the men and women who put on the uniform, not for recognition, but because they believe in order, accountability and safety for their communities.”