Former Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert compared the mental and physical toughness that Pennsylvania State Police troopers possess to that of the football players he knows so well.
But that’s where the commonalities end, he said after a memorial Tuesday outside the Greensburg state police station.
“In our game, … ultimately, it was about wins and losses,” he said. “But whereas these folks in the law enforcement and our military, unfortunately, sometimes it’s a life and death situation.”
Colbert joined state troopers, families of fallen troopers and community leaders Tuesday to remember the 11 members of Troop A who have died in the line of duty since 1909, four years after the Pennsylvania State Police was created. The windswept service was centered around a memorial in the parking lot of the station in Hempfield that lists the names of those 11 troopers.
The most recent line of duty death in Troop A was Trooper Michael P. Stewart III who was killed July 14, 2017, when his patrol unit collided with a garbage truck in Ligonier Township.
Colbert said Stewart was once a ballboy for the Steelers. A 2008 Greater Latrobe graduate, Stewart worked as a Steelers training camp staff member at St. Vincent College in Unity.
“When you have a personal relationship with someone that we watch grow into a young man and then, of course, join the state troopers and, unfortunately, lose his life, it kind of strikes home,” he said.
Trooper Clifford Greenfield read the names of the 11 fallen troopers and taps was played by Trooper Douglas Arndt. Troop A currently covers Somerset and Cambria counties, and most of Indiana and Westmoreland counties.
Troop A commanding officer Capt. Richard Quinn said Stewart is remembered often at the Greensburg station.
“Behind every uniform is a person, behind every badge is a family and behind every line of duty death is a loss that stays with a troop, a department and a community,” he said.
Remembering them matters because it tells families that their loved ones’ sacrifice is not forgotten, Quinn said. It also reminds the community that public safety is built on people who accept risk on the behalf of others.
“Every shift matters, every call matters, every act of professionalism matters,” he said. “The way we serve today honors those who served before us. The way we treat people, support one another and carry out the mission reflects the legacy of those names we remember.”
Fallen troopers
Private John L. Williams:
On Aug. 22, 1909, Williams, along with four other privates, were sent to Pressed Steel Car Company in McKees Rocks where a strike was in progress. En route, they were attacked by an angry mob where Williams, 29, was fatally shot.
Private Jack C. Smith:
Smith, 24, was also in the group sent to Pressed Steel Car Company on Aug. 22, 1909. He was shot by the mob and died the next day.
Private John F. Dargus:
Dargus, 21, was shot and killed on May 31, 1918, while serving an arrest warrant.
Private John T. Downey:
Downey and several other officers tried to disperse an unruly crowd of protesters on Aug. 22, 1927. He was shot and killed at age 31.
Private Charles L. Stewart:
Stewart was conducting surveillance when he was confronted and shot three times. Stewart, 22, was able to return fire and kill the assailant. He died in surgery on July 18, 1930.
Patrolman Herbert P. Brantlinger:
Brantlinger was dispatched to investigate a gasoline theft at a service station on Route 19 in South Fayette Township. As he dismounted his motorcycle, he was struck with rifle fire and killed on Sept. 3, 1933.
Private Joseph A. Hoffer:
Hoffer and several other officers attempted to arrest an escapee from the Fayette County Jail. The escapee opened fire on the officers from an upstairs window of a house. The suspect was killed when the officers returned fire. Hoffer was struck in the exchange of gunfire and succumbed to his injuries five days later on April 27, 1937.
Trooper Bruce C. Rankin:
On April 25, 1973, while on patrol on Route 119 a tractor-trailer jumped the median barrier and struck 25-year-old Rankin’s patrol vehicle. He died at the scene.
Trooper Herbert A. Wirfel:
On Feb. 7, 1982, Wirfel was on patrol in Cambria County running radar on Route 22. A motorist drove through the area he was monitoring at 72 mph. During a pursuit, Wirfel encountered a snow drift that was partially covering the passing lane and skidded off the right side of Route 22, striking an embankment. He did not survive the crash.
Trooper Joseph J. Sepp Jr.:
On Nov. 9, 2002, Sepp and his midnight partner, Trooper Brian Lampel, assisted a local police department in a pursuit. The pursuit ended when the driver crashed into a utility pole. The driver exited the vehicle and opened fire on both troopers. Sepp, 34, was shot and succumbed to his injuries the next day.
Trooper Michael P. Stewart III:
On July 14, 2017, Stewart and Trooper Travis November were in Ligonier Township traveling south on Route 711 at 2:30 a.m. At that same time, a garbage truck pulled out from a parking lot attempting to turn onto Route 711. Stewart swerved to avoid the collision but his police cruiser struck the side of the truck. Stewart, 26, of Unity, did not survive.