6 fallen Charlotte County officers remembered during annual ceremony

As National Police Week comes to an end, Southwest Florida honored lives lost in the line of duty.

Every year American Legion Post 110 in Port Charlotte hosts a fallen officer ceremony to read the six names of deputies and police in Charlotte County killed protecting the community.

“When I hear taps, I have a hard time holding the tears back,” said Jock Albert, the commander of American Legion Post 110.

Sounds have a way of touching our emotions. For Sheriff Bill Prummell, that holds true when he hears the name of fallen officer Sgt. Michael Wilson recited.

“We were hired around the same time,” Prummell said. “We came up through the ranks together so — I’m sorry — it really hurts. That’s the only way to explain it.”

It’s been almost eight years since Wilson’s line-of-duty death.

Sheriff Prummell still remembers his friend’s smile.

“Whenever you saw that smirk, you knew he was up to something,” Prummell said. “So you kind of had to watch your back. But you know he loved to laugh. He loved to have a good time. He loved to joke around.”

Sgt. Wilson paid the ultimate sacrifice doing the job he loved

On National Police Officers Memorial Day, Wilson and five other fallen Charlotte County deputies were remembered

“You die when your physical body no longer exists, but then, you die when people forget talking about your name or remembering you,” Prummell said. “So we have to keep doing these memorials to keep their memory alive.”

Veterans understand the sacrifice those deputies made. That’s why every year Post 110 in Port Charlotte honors those memorialized names

“It’s a thankless job,” Albert said. “Two of my kids are both police officers now. I worry about that every day of the week. That’s I never want to get that phone call.”

The deputies who were honored did not return home, but their memories are held dear and live on in the heart of others.

“We have to keep doing these memorials to keep their memory alive,” Prummell said.