Police officers gather in Naperville to honor their fallen comrades

Bill Bermes gingerly placed a bouquet of red roses in front of the memorial wall, not far from where his grandfather's name is carved in black stone.

He paused and bowed his head.

Dozens of police officers stood silently in neat rows. A few saluted.

Naperville's annual Peace Officer Memorial Observance on Tuesday honored the 17 police officers killed in the line of duty since 1918 in DuPage County.

Officers from several area agencies participated and took turns placing flowers.

Bermes' grandfather, Robert Worthel, was the Naperville police chief when he died on Sept. 24, 1927, in a motorcycle accident. Worthel's daughter, Eleanor, was 5 at the time.

"She didn't grow up having a father figure in her life," Bermes said of his mom.

His only tangible reminders of his grandfather's life are some black-and-white photos and a box of love letters Worthel wrote to his wife, May, who never remarried.

Now, every year in May, Bermes reads the letters and shows them to his two children.

"They have something for their history," he said.

But perhaps the most permanent reminder is the memorial that stands between Naperville's police and fire departments. Bermes brings his children and 1-year-old grandchild, Isabella, to trace Worthel's name in the solemn stone.

He wants them to know how important it is to treasure each day and never take one for granted.

"Life is so fragile," Bermes said. "You never know when you go out if you're going to come back home."

Tuesday's ceremony also included a period of silence for law enforcement officers across the country who died in the line of duty during the past year. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group, reported 163 deaths in 2011.

Then the Naperville Police Department's pipes and drums corps played "Amazing Grace."

Police Chief David Dial said he purposely scheduled his retirement for later this week, after the ceremony. His successor, Bob Marshall, will be sworn in Friday.

"You are America's heroes," Dial told the officers in the crowd. "It is fitting and proper that we set this time aside to pay homage to the bravery of all the fallen officers. Our ceremony is an eternal remembrance of their service and sacrifices."

Bermes' eyes filled with tears when he applauded the officers who gathered for the observance.

"It's a terrible thing that so many families go through this," he said. "You really take it one day at a time and stay focused and stay strong."