Honorary Escort

Date and Time of Incident: December 7, 2017

·         Type of Incident: Honorary Escort                              

·         Location of Incident: Grand Rapids to Saint Joseph              

·         Agencies Involved: 

Berrien County Sheriff’s Office     

Narrative:

December 7th, 2017, aside from being Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, was just another day at the Berrien County Michigan Sheriff's Office.  The Berrien County Sheriff’s Office was notified that the remains of Navy Airman Albert "Bud" Rybarczyk would be arriving at the Grand Rapids International Airport.  Chief Deputy Robert Boyce and Operations Lt. Steve Campbell traveled to Grand Rapids to give a police escort to the Starks and Menchinger hearse that would be transporting the Airman's remains.

  "We serve the community in many ways," said Chief Robert Boyce.  "This was the right thing to do and a fitting and appropriate way to honorably transport a fallen member of the greatest generation back to his home for his final rest."

 Lt. Campbell contacted Gary Blied who is a volunteer reserve deputy with the department as well as a retired Air Force pilot and currently flies for American Airlines.

"One of the great things about our reserves is we have a wide and deep experience base from which to draw." said Lt. Campbell who is in charge of the Reserve Division.  "I knew Reserve Deputy Blied was familiar with what we needed to do and when I called him he immediately reported for duty.

The motorcade proceeded from Grand Rapids to St. Joseph and ended at the Starks & Menchinger Funeral Home on Niles Ave.  There, Navy Airman Rybarczyk was accorded full military honors with an escort and burial detail from the Navy Operation Support Center in Battle Creek.

"Reserve Deputy Gary Blied joined us at the funeral home and presented the family with a 48 star flag, which would have been the vintage of flag Bud Rybarczyk would have served under during WWII”, stated Lt. Campbell.  "He also presented the family with a pair of wings from his Air Force uniform which I'm told, is a pilot tradition."

Deputy Blied continued: "We always send a set of wings with a fallen airman.  Given the nature and reputation of pilots, we make sure our brother aviators have a set with them in case, for some reason, they are not issued one.” he said with a smile.

"The wings we sent with Bud were particularly fitting.  They were pinned on me on the day of my Air Force Pilot graduation by Navy Commander Bill Small who was a former Corvair fighter pilot in the Pacific during WWII and the father of a high school friend", said Blied. "He got me interested in flying and I know he would be pleased that I honored a fellow Navy aviator with the wings he'd given me."

Burial services will be held on Monday, December 11, 2017, at 1 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 220 Church St., St. Joseph, MI.  Internment to follow at Resurrection Cemetery.