TRIBUTE STORIES

My father was a very funny man. He had kind of a dark sense of humor. What can you expect from a Vietnam Vet and a Cop. My oldest child just turned 16, and I often wonder what she would have thought of her Grandfather. If only Kevlar was around then, Dad would still be with us.....but it wasn't.

My father caught me playing with his service revolver once......ONCE! hehe. After the dicipline part, he took me and the revolver outside with a coffee can full of water. He had me hold the gun (.44 Mag Snub) and he placed his hands around mine. He shot the coffe can, and I felt the huge kick and VERY loud sound. I saw the coffee can fly in to the air, water spraying everywhere. He then picked up the can and brought it back. he told me to feel the can, a larged jagged hole through it, sharp metal twisted from the impact. He then told me to feel my arm..."soft isn't it" he said. He then asked what do think this would to to your soft body after seeing what bullet had done to the can? I had a very visual image of that, and it has stayed with me all these years. To this day I can still remember what that can looked like, and the smell of the gun powder, the cloud of smoke drifting off in the air.

Dad painted a train around our room (mine and my brother's bedroom) It was as tall as the wall, and the engineer was painted on the back of the door. The train wrapped around all four walls. It was very good, my father was a very talented guy. He would now have 8 Grandchildren, and I just wonder what he would have dreamed up for them. There were alot of people that were robbed of a very good person, and father that night. It would be my wish that Nobody else would fall in the line of duty, unfortunatley that is not reality. So I say to all you men and women in blue (especially my little brother a Sherrif's Deputy in Topeka, KS) Be very careful out there, there are those of us who love and depend on you. I am thankful for the Memorial, but hope the engravers go out of business very soon!

I love and miss you Dad
Tim

Officer's Name: Duane Dean Winkelman
Officer's Dept.: Illinois Central Railroad City: St. Louis IL
End of Watch: 12/28/1972

To submit your Personal Tribute Story, click here.