Memorial Day
64th PPD Recruit Class
Over on my Substack I wrote about people whom I served with in the Army who are now gone. I am at an age where I have lost friends and family and seem to go to more funerals than weddings. I also went into two professions where there seem to be more opportunities to shuffle off this mortal coil prematurely. While Memorial day is a way of paying homage to those we’ve lost in war I am reminded of two friends from work who left us too soon.
I am 5’9″ tall and was taller than Mike Cileli but Mike was a titan on my job. Mike’s brother Steve was one of my Police Academy instructors. Steve was tough but fair and genuinely a great guy. I first saw, not met Mike, when he came to speak to my Academy class for “Reality Day”. Reality Day is when serving and retired cops from my job would come in and tell you about their experiences be shot in the Line of Duty. Mike seemed taller than he was because of his military bearing, both he and Steve had served in the Marine Corps and it showed. Mike told his story, quietly and without hyperbole. He wasn’t there to try and impress anyone. Though that is exactly what he did.
I wouldn’t see him again until I had graduated and was in Field Training on the Out Last (what every other job calls midnights) shift. It was bitterly cold February morning when my Field Training officer invited me to breakfast with a bunch of the other FTO’s and trainees. I said, yes and then he said; “I know your not religious but the Steve Shaw memorial mass is after that, you coming?” Again, I said yes.
At Breakfast a bunch of new guys sat together, talking to each other, desperately trying not to say anything stupid in front of the senior guys and FTO’s. Mike was one of those guys. At one point Mike quietly said; “Hey, you new guys want to be kings of this job? You do five years on the Out Last before you go anywhere. Five years Out Last and you will be able to go anywhere on this job.” Then he turned back to his coffee, having said what he had to say.
Over the years I became friends with Mike. I would see him in passing at shift change. I was also lucky enough to work overtime in the morning with him on several occasions. Mike taught me a lot about policing but also I genuinely liked him.
One of the other people that I was lucky enough to know and occasionally work for was Sergeant Eddy Ryan. Eddy was a large man, with a ready smile and a joke on hand for any occasion. Eddy and Mike were out of the same Academy Class. Eddy was an even tempered boss who had years of experience. He wasn’t the type to yell at people or let them make stupid decisions. Over the years Eddy and I became friends.
Mike retired in 2014, his de facto niece had gotten the job that year and he wanted to make sure she was established before he retired. He hand picked her FTO after she had been on the street for a few months Mike retired. Mike died in December of 2015, months after he retired.
Eddy retired a year or two later. He would still show up once in awhile at Choir Practice (drinking after your shift) and every December I would see him at the memorial dinners for Mike. Eddy liked my first book a lot. He was diagnosed with cancer before my second book came out. I was able to rush a copy over to him just days before he passed.
I was lucky to know them and to learn from them. I am reminded of them everyday when I go to work. Every December we raise a glass to them and I am thankful for having known them.