Fallen area Troopers honored with wreath-laying ceremony

ACKERMAN, Miss. (WCBI)- Sunday marks the end of National Police Week.

Mississippi Highway Patrolmen from Troop G in Starkville honored their fallen brothers with 5 different wreath-laying ceremonies across the area.

In Ackerman, friends and family of Trooper Bobby Wells Jr. came together in remembrance.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been since 1995. 24 years. It feels like it was just yesterday if we think about it,” said Trooper Wells’ sister Jan Wells.

Jan Wells has been coping with the loss of her brother for over two decades.

She said she comes to the memorial every year with her mother, Edna Wells, but this year her mother has fallen ill– leaving Jan to bear the pain alone.

“It’s kind of hard on me to come down here by myself, and I know God is with me and my mother’s with me and Bubba’s with me and of course our daddy… He’s up in heaven with Bubba,” said Wells.

Many Troopers were also in attendance.

Some of them knew Trooper Wells personally and shared their stories of him.

“Probably a lot of people did not get to have a true friend, but if he was your friend, he was your friend,” said a fellow Trooper.

For those in attendance, Sunday’s ceremonies serve as a bitter reminder.

“It serves as a reminder to us just to remember the price that we pay to live in freedom. To live in a state of law and order requires sacrifice sometimes, so it’s a reminder to all these guys out here that the ultimate price could be called upon you doing your job and your duties as a trooper and an officer or any law enforcement officer in the state,” said Master Sergeant Chris Turnipseed.

“It means a lot for them to remember the law enforcement that was killed in the line of duty. Even though it’s been 24 years, I’m just glad that they remember him every year because he was such a great guy, and he paid the ultimate price,” said Wells.

As for Trooper Wells, his memory and legacy won’t end with National Police Week. Instead, they’ll live on through the community he served.

“Every time I mention his name to some Starkville person, they always remember him being such a great guy who just loved to cut up and laugh. He was just an all-around likable person,” said Wells.

Troop G held four other memorial ceremonies today in Eupora, Starkville, Louisville, and West Point.