On August 24, 1984, U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Chris Eney was shot and killed in a training exercise — accidentally, by a fellow officer and friend. When his wife Vivian got the call, she was told someone was coming to take her to him. They took her to the wrong hospital. By the time she reached the right one, Chris was gone.

What followed was a cascade of institutional failures. No death benefits — the federal PSOB had been inadvertently written to exclude federal officers. Over 1,000 hours of her husband's unpaid comp time, gone. Everything in his name. Vivian even owed inheritance tax on assets that were hers. She took her 9 and 11-year-old daughters door-to-door on Capitol Hill and spent more than two years fighting Congress for what she was owed.

This first part of a two-part conversation also covers COPS (Concerns of Police Survivors), how survivor community helped Vivian heal, and a quiet moment with her daughter that captures exactly what it means to carry grief forward.

In Part 2: Vivian reveals how she shaped the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — and wrote the inscription on its wall that has moved thousands of officers to tears.

👍 If you support law enforcement stories told with honesty and context, like, subscribe, and share.

🔔 Turn on notifications so you don't miss Part 2 — Vivian's story isn't over yet.

#LawEnforcement, #TrueCrime, #FirstResponders, #PoliceStories, #HeroesBehindTheBadge, #CapitolPolice, #LineOfDuty, #PoliceSurvivor, #NationalPoliceMemorial, #COPS

<b>and this one officer, you could actually</b>

<b>see the color leave his face.</b>

<b>He said, "You're the one</b>

<b>that wrote that over there?"</b>

<b>I said, "Yes." I mean,</b>

<b>tears were coming down.</b>

<b>He said, "You're the one that let me know</b>

<b>I don't have to die to be appreciated."</b>

<b>[MUSIC]</b>

<b>Vivian Eney Cross would go on to leave a</b>

<b>permanent mark on one of</b>

<b>America's most sacred monuments.</b>

<b>But in August of 1984, she was just a</b>

<b>wife waiting for her husband to come home</b>

<b>from a training exercise.</b>

<b>So let's go back to</b>

<b>that fateful day, Vivian.</b>

<b>It's August 24, 1984. Your husband is</b>

<b>U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Chris Eney.</b>

<b>Unfortunately, in a training exercise, he</b>

<b>was shot and killed, not by a criminal,</b>

<b>but unfortunately by a</b>

<b>fellow officer, in fact, a friend.</b>

<b>He left behind, of course, you and your</b>

<b>two young daughters.</b>

<b>Our guest today on Heroes Behind the</b>

<b>Badge is Vivian Eney Cross.</b>

<b>And what she did with that grief, that</b>

<b>unbelievable grief,</b>

<b>what she built from it,</b>

<b>that's the story that we're going to tell</b>

<b>today. That's the</b>

<b>conversation that you need to hear.</b>

<b>If you've ever visited D.C., the law</b>

<b>enforcement memorial wall, Judiciary</b>

<b>Square in Washington, D.C.,</b>

<b>unfortunately, there are over 24,000</b>

<b>names inscribed on that</b>

<b>wall of fallen officers.</b>

<b>Okay? But there's also an inscription,</b>

<b>and there are four lions</b>

<b>that guard the memorial wall.</b>

<b>And one of the lions on the west, the</b>

<b>northwest side of the</b>

<b>memorial, has an inscription.</b>

<b>And it's important to know what that was.</b>

<b>It's not how these officers</b>

<b>died that made them heroes.</b>

<b>It's how they lived. And you know, I've</b>

<b>been to the memorial hundreds of times.</b>

<b>I saw the inscription. I saw the name,</b>

<b>but I never was able</b>

<b>to put it with a face.</b>

<b>So today, finally, that is your</b>

<b>inscription. It is inscribed on the</b>

<b>marble walls of the Law</b>

<b>Enforcement Memorial. So I'd like to</b>

<b>start today by asking you</b>

<b>about Chris. You know, on Heroes</b>

<b>Behind the Badge podcast, we talk about</b>

<b>people who've done heroic</b>

<b>things, people who have paid</b>

<b>the ultimate price, but we oftentimes</b>

<b>don't talk about how they</b>

<b>lived. Let's take it right from</b>

<b>your quote. Talk to us about Chris and</b>

<b>how he lived. He was a</b>

<b>good man. He had integrity.</b>

<b>And we met in high school, dated on and</b>

<b>off. And then after high school, he</b>

<b>joined the army with</b>

<b>my brother. And he went into Green</b>

<b>Berets. And he was a Special Forces medic</b>

<b>that he never left the</b>

<b>United States. It was the height of the</b>

<b>war. So it just God must</b>

<b>have said, no, not this time.</b>

<b>So he did that. And then after he got</b>

<b>back, we got pregnant and</b>

<b>then he wanted to look for a</b>

<b>serious job. And there was a gentleman at</b>

<b>our church that was a</b>

<b>deputy chief, Yancey Garner.</b>

<b>And he knew him and talked to him. And he</b>

<b>was the influence for him to</b>

<b>go on over to Capitol Police</b>

<b>and to get on that department.</b>

<b>And interesting. How long had he served?</b>

<b>How long was Capitol Police?</b>

<b>12 and a half years.</b>

<b>12 and a half years. Do you recall any of</b>

<b>his recollections about</b>

<b>what it was like to police</b>

<b>the U.S. Capitol? You know, one of the</b>

<b>most prestigious police</b>

<b>positions you can have.</b>

<b>How did he feel about that?</b>

<b>He was very serious about his job there.</b>

<b>He had the privilege of guarding and</b>

<b>keeping the U.S. Capitol.</b>

<b>And it was an honor for him to do that.</b>

<b>Indeed. Indeed. Craig Floyd, one of our</b>

<b>co-hosts. Hey, Craig. Hello, Craig.</b>

<b>Dennis.</b>

<b>And Billy's here too. Billy Erfurth. We</b>

<b>got the whole crew here</b>

<b>for Vivian. Everybody.</b>

<b>Everybody showed up. Craig has some</b>

<b>particularly poignant memories.</b>

<b>He has a lot of history. Obviously, he's</b>

<b>the founder of the</b>

<b>memorial and had a long history</b>

<b>there. And you and Craig know each other</b>

<b>pretty well. I'd love to</b>

<b>hear Craig and you maybe have</b>

<b>some conversations about some of the</b>

<b>things that you guys</b>

<b>experienced together.</b>

<b>Let me start with a story very briefly,</b>

<b>but so powerful. And for me, especially,</b>

<b>I had the privilege of working for</b>

<b>Congressman Mario Biaggi, who introduced</b>

<b>the bill to authorize</b>

<b>a national law enforcement officers</b>

<b>memorial to be built. And that happened</b>

<b>in 1984, the same year</b>

<b>Vivian's husband, Chris, died in the line</b>

<b>of duty. And so a year</b>

<b>later in May, there was a group</b>

<b>called Concerns of Police Survivors that</b>

<b>was fledgling. It had</b>

<b>just started. Susie Sawyer</b>

<b>was their founder and executive director.</b>

<b>And Susie said, Craig,</b>

<b>come and talk to this group of</b>

<b>surviving family members that had</b>

<b>gathered really for the</b>

<b>first time in Washington, D.C.</b>

<b>for National Police Week and tell them</b>

<b>about this memorial that</b>

<b>Congressman Biaggi has now</b>

<b>authorized through law. And so I gave a</b>

<b>nice speech about the new</b>

<b>law, about this memorial</b>

<b>that was going to be built to honor the</b>

<b>men and women who had</b>

<b>died in the line of duty.</b>

<b>And I felt pretty good. You know, got a</b>

<b>nice ovation. I think</b>

<b>people were pretty happy with</b>

<b>the message I delivered. Went back to my</b>

<b>office and a couple hours</b>

<b>later, the phone rings. And</b>

<b>it's Vivian Eney calling me. And I</b>

<b>thought, oh, you know, she's a survivor.</b>

<b>I'm sure she's going</b>

<b>to thank me and say all these nice</b>

<b>things. That didn't actually happen.</b>

<b>Vivian was a rather angry,</b>

<b>rather bitter. She had lost her husband.</b>

<b>I told her how much</b>

<b>America cared, how much Congress</b>

<b>cared. And that's why we are building</b>

<b>this memorial. And</b>

<b>Vivian's experience was not so</b>

<b>positive. She did not feel that those</b>

<b>words really were authentic and true. And</b>

<b>she more or less read</b>

<b>me the riot act a bit. Fended, you know,</b>

<b>and I was the target, but I</b>

<b>knew she wasn't venting at</b>

<b>me. She was just getting it off her</b>

<b>system. But Vivian taught me something</b>

<b>very important that day.</b>

<b>She explained to me how many cards and</b>

<b>letters and phone calls she</b>

<b>had gotten from members of</b>

<b>Congress, from others, and how much that</b>

<b>meant to her. And I</b>

<b>thought to myself, my goodness,</b>

<b>if a condolence card or a phone call</b>

<b>could mean so much to a</b>

<b>survivor who's lost a loved one,</b>

<b>how much would a national monument mean?</b>

<b>A national memorial?</b>

<b>And for the first time,</b>

<b>I think I fully appreciated the</b>

<b>importance of the project that I had been</b>

<b>handed by Congressman</b>

<b>Biaggi. He said, "Go out and build this</b>

<b>memorial." And until then, it was just</b>

<b>one of many projects,</b>

<b>one of many issues I was working on for</b>

<b>him. But all of a sudden,</b>

<b>that project rose to the top of</b>

<b>the heap. And it became really my life's</b>

<b>calling after that, meeting</b>

<b>people like Vivian. She started</b>

<b>it, and I met thousands of survivors and</b>

<b>officers after that that</b>

<b>reinforced her message that this</b>

<b>memorial was in fact very important. But</b>

<b>Vivian, I'd like you to go</b>

<b>back and talk to us about the</b>

<b>difference between the way survivors were</b>

<b>treated in 1984, 1985, how they're</b>

<b>treated today, and how</b>

<b>these fallen heroes are honored today</b>

<b>versus what was happening</b>

<b>back in 1984, when there was no</b>

<b>memorial. Good question. Yes. Well,</b>

<b>Chris's death with Capitol</b>

<b>Police started a nightmare that</b>

<b>the department or my family didn't get</b>

<b>out of quickly. The first</b>

<b>inkling I had that anything</b>

<b>was wrong was a phone call. I was told</b>

<b>Chris was shot and to sit</b>

<b>tight, somebody would pick me up</b>

<b>and take me down to where he was. Well,</b>

<b>I'm putting on my makeup,</b>

<b>you know, thinking we're</b>

<b>going to laugh about him being shot in</b>

<b>the foot or something. That</b>

<b>was about as far as it went.</b>

<b>And they did send the officer, and he</b>

<b>took me to the wrong</b>

<b>hospital. And by the time I got to the</b>

<b>right hospital, Chris was dead. And it</b>

<b>just got worse from there.</b>

<b>So many ways in the DC area,</b>

<b>you fall through the cracks. We lived in</b>

<b>Maryland, but there were no</b>

<b>Maryland death benefits. He</b>

<b>worked in DC, but not for DC. And there</b>

<b>were no benefits. And</b>

<b>with Capitol Police, their</b>

<b>legislative and the other federal</b>

<b>officers are judicial. And although they</b>

<b>all give monetary for</b>

<b>comp time and annual leave, legislative</b>

<b>did not. So he had over</b>

<b>1,000 hours of comp time</b>

<b>that they wouldn't pay me for. And it was</b>

<b>just crazy. Chris and</b>

<b>I were not prepared.</b>

<b>I mean, everything was in his name. And I</b>

<b>ended up having to pay</b>

<b>inheritance tax on what was mine because</b>

<b>my name wasn't on any of the documents.</b>

<b>It was just blow after blow after blow.</b>

<b>And it really takes you to</b>

<b>your knees. And then when</b>

<b>a department isn't prepared, it's</b>

<b>additional trauma. They're</b>

<b>not. When it comes for a line of</b>

<b>duty death and they haven't prepared,</b>

<b>they react instead of act.</b>

<b>And that's when a lot of those</b>

<b>other traumas will occur. And I was. I</b>

<b>was so angry and so bitter for such a</b>

<b>long time. And it was</b>

<b>finally my preacher during a summer</b>

<b>during a sermon said, being</b>

<b>bitter is like taking poison</b>

<b>and waiting for somebody else to die. And</b>

<b>I thought that's exactly</b>

<b>what I'm doing. I'm waiting for</b>

<b>somebody else to die. And that's when I</b>

<b>thought I've got to get</b>

<b>better. I've got to get my girls</b>

<b>through this. We all have to get through</b>

<b>it together. I mean,</b>

<b>how old were Shannon and</b>

<b>Heather, your two daughters at the time</b>

<b>of Chris's death? They were nine and 11.</b>

<b>Nine and 11. Here's another memory I</b>

<b>have. And you can talk</b>

<b>about it. You and your two,</b>

<b>nine and 11 year old daughters going door</b>

<b>to door on Capitol Hill,</b>

<b>telling members of Congress that</b>

<b>you were not able to get any federal</b>

<b>death benefit. There was</b>

<b>a federal death benefit in</b>

<b>place at the time it was authorized in</b>

<b>1976, $50,000 at the time for any</b>

<b>surviving family member of</b>

<b>an officer who died in the line of duty.</b>

<b>But it only applied to state</b>

<b>and local officers. And you</b>

<b>had to go and tell members of Congress</b>

<b>who Chris worked for to</b>

<b>protect that you were not getting</b>

<b>those benefits. You and your daughters</b>

<b>were not part of that</b>

<b>legislation. So tell me, and then</b>

<b>that even became more of a nightmare.</b>

<b>Explain that and then that journey.</b>

<b>Yes, it was when I was</b>

<b>told there was the PSOB.</b>

<b>The PSOB. It had been</b>

<b>written and unintentionally</b>

<b>disclued did not include federal</b>

<b>officers. And so they said, hang on,</b>

<b>we're going to make it better.</b>

<b>We're going through to rewrite it now.</b>

<b>And so they did that and</b>

<b>they made it retroactive to</b>

<b>September 1st, 1984. And Chris was killed</b>

<b>in October 24th, 1984.</b>

<b>August 24th, yes.</b>

<b>Yeah, so it was it</b>

<b>was not available to me.</b>

<b>Unbelievable.</b>

<b>Of course, the police officers on Capitol</b>

<b>Hill, they were really</b>

<b>talking it up with senators and</b>

<b>congressmen. I went around with the girls</b>

<b>and I handed a letter</b>

<b>to everybody on the Hill.</b>

<b>And it took over two years to get that</b>

<b>personal relief bill so</b>

<b>that I could have access to</b>

<b>that benefit, which I felt was mine to</b>

<b>have. I didn't want anything</b>

<b>wasn't do me, but I felt it was mine to</b>

<b>get and help with the girls.</b>

<b>We talked about the pastor helping you</b>

<b>get through your grief and bitterness.</b>

<b>There was another group that played a</b>

<b>role in that I know. And and</b>

<b>that's the concerns of police</b>

<b>survivors, cops. I mentioned Susie</b>

<b>Sawyer, who started that</b>

<b>group in 1984. And you were one of</b>

<b>the first members. You probably attended</b>

<b>the first survivor</b>

<b>meeting of cops in 1985.</b>

<b>Talk about cops. You went on to serve as</b>

<b>their national president for two years,</b>

<b>not just one is typical three years. My</b>

<b>goodness. All right. So you</b>

<b>were there for three years as</b>

<b>their president early on. Talk about how</b>

<b>cops helped you and what</b>

<b>cops does for other survivors.</b>

<b>Well, one of the first things it does is</b>

<b>you go there and</b>

<b>somebody will come up to you and</b>

<b>ask you about the incident that took your</b>

<b>loved one's life. And</b>

<b>they will say, I know.</b>

<b>And you know that they know because</b>

<b>they're police survivors. And to hear</b>

<b>somebody say that and</b>

<b>realize they really do know what I'm</b>

<b>going through was</b>

<b>tremendous. Just to be able to talk</b>

<b>to other survivors. Some had had it worse</b>

<b>than I did. Some had</b>

<b>had it much better. But it</b>

<b>bring it. It brought levelness to the</b>

<b>whole survivor issue because</b>

<b>we were all there together.</b>

<b>And it was just great. It it really</b>

<b>helped in me getting rid of that</b>

<b>bitterness and that anger.</b>

<b>And I I just felt that, well, I'm not</b>

<b>doing any good to myself or my girls</b>

<b>while I'm like this.</b>

<b>But if I walk away from that bitterness,</b>

<b>it helps me help others who are going</b>

<b>through the same thing.</b>

<b>And Vivian, let me jump in and ask you.</b>

<b>So how did you help some</b>

<b>people? I'd like to hear you.</b>

<b>You talked about some had it worse. Some</b>

<b>had it better. There's</b>

<b>probably some really significant</b>

<b>moving stories that maybe are worth</b>

<b>sharing. Yes. One I think</b>

<b>of. Excuse me, is Judy Welsh.</b>

<b>Her husband was a D.C. police officer</b>

<b>that he went into the it's off what</b>

<b>street I can't think</b>

<b>14th Street. Anyway, a woman who had</b>

<b>escaped St. Elizabeth's had</b>

<b>run to the bridge and jumped</b>

<b>off the bridge and he went in after her.</b>

<b>But he never surfaced. And</b>

<b>Judy was eight and a half</b>

<b>months pregnant when he died. And she had</b>

<b>really so much support</b>

<b>from the agency that it really</b>

<b>helped her. I went with her when she went</b>

<b>to see her husband and</b>

<b>down the road, her brother</b>

<b>died overseas. They're really not sure</b>

<b>what caused it. I think it</b>

<b>was he was involved in a band</b>

<b>that was really kind of living on the</b>

<b>wild side. But I went with her</b>

<b>to see her brother. And you do</b>

<b>that. You call them on days that you</b>

<b>think maybe they want to hear somebody</b>

<b>else's voice that knows,</b>

<b>and it is just so meaningful. Let me tell</b>

<b>you a story. When my</b>

<b>daughter Heather got up the day</b>

<b>that Chris was killed there on the</b>

<b>kitchen table were two erasers</b>

<b>that Chris had gotten her for</b>

<b>her brand new chalkboard. So she sat down</b>

<b>and wrote this thank you</b>

<b>letter thanking him for getting</b>

<b>them for her. And of course, he never got</b>

<b>the letter. He was he was</b>

<b>killed that day. And if you</b>

<b>fast forward maybe four or five years</b>

<b>later, and we're in the car,</b>

<b>and Heather says, Mom, you got</b>

<b>to listen to this song. And she turned it</b>

<b>up. And I'm aging myself. It</b>

<b>was Mike and the mechanics,</b>

<b>the living years. And the voice came on</b>

<b>the verse came on that said,</b>

<b>I wasn't home that morning,</b>

<b>my father passed away. I didn't get to</b>

<b>tell him all the things I had</b>

<b>to say. And so I grabbed her</b>

<b>hand and I said, Well, Heather, what</b>

<b>would you have said to your</b>

<b>dad? And she said, I would have</b>

<b>asked him to watch over me, I would have</b>

<b>asked him to love me every</b>

<b>day, but I would have thanked</b>

<b>him for my erasers. And with that, she</b>

<b>started to cry. And so I held</b>

<b>her hand. And we got to where</b>

<b>we were going. But when I got back to the</b>

<b>house, I called another</b>

<b>survivor who knew what those</b>

<b>moments were like, who would talk me</b>

<b>through it, not pity me, pity</b>

<b>is a wasted emotion, just help</b>

<b>me be and do what I need to for myself</b>

<b>and my girls and others</b>

<b>that are going through this.</b>

<b>And so it's it's just this camaraderie</b>

<b>that is based on an event that ties you</b>

<b>together completely.</b>

<b>And sometimes I would call people and ask</b>

<b>for help. Sometimes they would call me.</b>

<b>But it was a network of resources to find</b>

<b>those people who really</b>

<b>get you and can help you</b>

<b>become what you need</b>

<b>to be for your family.</b>

<b>Yeah, you know, Dennis and Bill, I want</b>

<b>to summarize a little bit</b>

<b>of why Vivian's place in</b>

<b>1985 was a little different than what a</b>

<b>survivor's position might</b>

<b>be today. You know, no death</b>

<b>benefit, all right, for at least federal</b>

<b>officers when Chris died.</b>

<b>There was just a new group called</b>

<b>Concerns of Police Survivors, but nobody</b>

<b>yet was calling each other.</b>

<b>There was no network of support</b>

<b>that exists today. As Vivian describes,</b>

<b>there was no National Law</b>

<b>Enforcement Officers Memorial</b>

<b>because it wasn't dedicated until 1991.</b>

<b>Chris died in 1984. And,</b>

<b>you know, so much has changed.</b>

<b>There was no National Law Enforcement</b>

<b>Museum. And the way we</b>

<b>honor officers today is just so</b>

<b>incredibly different and better than it</b>

<b>was when Vivian was going</b>

<b>through this grief. And I just</b>

<b>want people to understand that. That's</b>

<b>why, you know, survivors back in the day</b>

<b>maybe felt neglected,</b>

<b>felt like nobody cared, nobody</b>

<b>remembered. And that's what</b>

<b>Vivian taught me. And that's why</b>

<b>I think that memorial has become so</b>

<b>special, that museum, the COPS group, the</b>

<b>death benefit, which</b>

<b>today I think is well over $300,000</b>

<b>because they put in a</b>

<b>cost of living adjustment. So</b>

<b>it is meaningful. And then there was</b>

<b>another group that came</b>

<b>along and helped you, Vivian.</b>

<b>It was a group called Heroes. A lot of</b>

<b>groups similar to Heroes</b>

<b>are called 100 clubs or 200</b>

<b>clubs around the country. Talk to me</b>

<b>about what Heroes is and what</b>

<b>it did for you and the girls.</b>

<b>Well, they stay low key. At some point</b>

<b>after your husband's death,</b>

<b>you will go in to see them.</b>

<b>And then they will let you know what they</b>

<b>will be able to do for you.</b>

<b>Not in the emotional realm,</b>

<b>but in the realm of benefits, of house</b>

<b>payments, and just a whole</b>

<b>bunch of stuff they're able to do.</b>

<b>And of course, it depends on</b>

<b>the needs of the survivors.</b>

<b>Just so people understand, this is a</b>

<b>group of business leaders in</b>

<b>the local community who have</b>

<b>put forth money to assist surviving</b>

<b>family members of public</b>

<b>safety officers killed in the</b>

<b>line of duty. So these are private</b>

<b>individuals. They don't want a lot of</b>

<b>glory or recognition,</b>

<b>as Vivian mentioned, but they do assist</b>

<b>you in a meaningful way.</b>

<b>Absolutely. I believe they started after</b>

<b>President Kennedy was</b>

<b>shot. And at the same time,</b>

<b>there was an officer shot. And back then,</b>

<b>the only way you could</b>

<b>get some support financially</b>

<b>was having it in the newspaper or on the</b>

<b>radio. And this officer got</b>

<b>nothing because the airways</b>

<b>were just full of Kennedy and all that</b>

<b>was going on with that death.</b>

<b>And they are just wonderful.</b>

<b>I cannot tell you how good they are. I</b>

<b>mean, they just listen</b>

<b>to you. They very quietly</b>

<b>tell you what they're</b>

<b>going to do. And they do it.</b>

<b>I want to just go back because it's kind</b>

<b>of left me still</b>

<b>wondering and wanting to ask a</b>

<b>question. Clearly, a lot of the benefits</b>

<b>have changed over the</b>

<b>years. I mean, here in Florida,</b>

<b>an officer is killed in the line of duty.</b>

<b>There are so many different</b>

<b>organizations that step up</b>

<b>financially. They fund your children's</b>

<b>college education and</b>

<b>whatnot. So you took your two</b>

<b>daughters around Congress and you met</b>

<b>with all these folks. And I</b>

<b>don't know, did you ever get</b>

<b>that resolved? Did you ever get that</b>

<b>money and did it ever lead to benefits</b>

<b>for everybody in the</b>

<b>future there? No, no, certainly they are</b>

<b>handling survivors much,</b>

<b>much different. I mean, much,</b>

<b>much better. It is day and night</b>

<b>different. They've got liaison officers</b>

<b>now full time who do this</b>

<b>stuff for survivors. Anything that comes</b>

<b>up, they'll ask you if</b>

<b>you want to go to it.</b>

<b>Capitol Police has become my family. They</b>

<b>are wonderful. They</b>

<b>were just not aware, not</b>

<b>prepared for line of duty death. And when</b>

<b>it happened, it just</b>

<b>things went haywire. But oh,</b>

<b>yeah, the survivors. And of course,</b>

<b>there's been other survivors at Capitol</b>

<b>Police since Chris died.</b>

<b>And although no survivor is ever going to</b>

<b>say, I'm happy completely</b>

<b>with what how they handled</b>

<b>me because you're wrapped around this</b>

<b>intense grief that comes at first. It</b>

<b>just plows into you.</b>

<b>And that part is difficult. But boy, do</b>

<b>they treat those survivors</b>

<b>better. And I am so glad they've</b>

<b>got a wonderful group of officers who</b>

<b>really take care of us. And it's amazing.</b>

<b>You've heard how she survived. In part</b>

<b>two, you'll hear how she</b>

<b>shaped the memorial that</b>

<b>stands today and the</b>

<b>words inscribed on its wall.</b>

<b>anyway.</b>