Honor flag arrives for fallen Pueblo Sheriff’s Office captain
One of the most cherished and revered national symbols, the United States Honor Flag, arrived Wednesday at the Colorado Springs Airport to honor the life of Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Leide W. DeFusco.
Just before 7 p.m., the Office’s honor guard escorted the flag after taking it from a commercial plane that departed from Texas. DeFusco’s family attended the ceremony.
The procession moved slowly through the airport terminal until a deputy holding the flag sat in a patrol car, followed by a motorcade to Pueblo.
DeFusco, a 22-year veteran, was killed in a plane crash in the San Isabel National Forest last Friday. The plane was being used to look for an illegal marijuana operation in the forest. That operation was associated with a huge marijuana bust there a few weeks ago.
John Barger, a retired officer with the Pueblo Police Department, was also killed in the crash. He was an aviation enthusiast and piloted the plane that crashed on Greenhorn Mountain near Rye.
“There is no better way to pay homage to Captain DeFusco and his family than with this flag. It is a symbol of honor, rich in history, inspiring a renewed spirit of American patriotism as it pays tribute to those who have answered the call of duty and gone before us, forever remembered,” said Sheriff Kirk M. Taylor.
The U.S. Honor Flag rose above the rubble of the fallen World Trade Centet towers following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and has since flown at the site of those attacks, at memorial services for over 1,000 fallen soldiers, firefighters and police officers, and as a source of inspiration for active duty military personnel over battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The flag has toured more than 100 communities throughout the nation and overseas, and was even launched into space during the shuttle Atlantis’ final mission in July 2011.
The flag will be under constant security and displayed at DeFusco’s memorial service at 2:00 p.m. Friday, followed by a motorcade procession of law enforcement officers from throughout the state.
The Honor Flag was in Colorado twice last year, to help El Paso County celebrate its 150th anniversary, and to remember a fallen Limon police officer.
John Barger, a retired officer with the Pueblo Police Department, was also killed in the crash. He was an aviation enthusiast and piloted the plane that crashed on Greenhorn Mountain near Rye.
