Special for Marfa Public Radio from KRTS Volunteer Steve Anderson:
Governor Perry was in Alpine this morning as the key note speaker at an annual memorial ceremony for law enforcement officers in the Big Bend area who have died in the line of duty. The program was held in a large outdoor courtyard at Sul Ross. The Big Bend Law Enforcement Association sponsors the program and maintains a temporary memorial plaque, which they hope to someday make a permanent memorial located on the Sul Ross campus.
It was quite a colorful ceremony - attended by 300 or so law enforcement officers from around the region, all wearing their best uniforms, including police from Pecos, member’s of the honor guard from the Midland sheriff’s department and scores of Border Patrol. At the beginning of the ceremony, eight horsemen forming a “color guard” were preceded by a kilted trio of bagpipers. Towards the end, Brewster County sheriff Ronnie Dotson and Alpine police chief Russell Scown presented the special memorial wreath.
Governors Perry’s remarks were uncontroversial, though he did single out for praise “brave firefighters” for their “steely eyed intervention” in times of need.
However, responding to questions from the press after the ceremony about his presidential ambitions, Perry said that he was currently concentrating on the ongoing legislative session but that a presidential run was certainly a “conversation worth having.”