As the sun set behind hangars at Gainesville Regional Airport on Saturday, about 30 people waited for a surprise.
Sitting in the Joint Aviation Unit’s open hangar, friends and family of four fallen officers and one police dog would soon lay eyes on a flying memorial for their loved ones.
"We have folks who are family of some of our fallen officers, and we’re here at our aviation facility, so I know that a lot of you are putting the two and two together," said GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias.
As the radio in Tobias’ hand crackled, a helicopter emerged behind neighboring bushes.
While the helicopter hovered into view, Sally Dahlem’s hair billowed in the air current.
She lost her husband, Lt. Corey Dahlem, to a drunken driver in 2007.
As the helicopter’s tail faced the crowd, Dahlem saw her husband’s name painted among the names of three other officers and police dog Gero – all killed while serving the community.
"It’s a tough time for officers now, so it’s something positive for the police department and lets the community know that they do make sacrifices," she said.
The helicopter, a 1970 Bell OH-58, needed repairs after salt in the air corroded its paint and metal, said Officer Justin Poirot.
When choosing the helicopter’s new paint scheme, Poirot had the idea to create a flying memorial.
"To me, these officers are watching over us and now they’re on a machine that is also watching over the citizens of Gainesville," he said.
The repairs cost $50,000 — paid for with contraband forfeiture funds, Tobias said.
In 2001, a car hit Officer Scott Baird, who was trying to remove a batting cage placed on the road.
His brother, Buddy Baird, said he feels a connection with the local community and its law enforcement, which honors the family’s loss with a candlelighting vigil every year.
"Gainesville has just gone above and beyond ever since the incident happened," he said.
Baird’s mother, Kelly Gaudet, said she’ll know her son and his fellow officers are watching over the city when she hears the helicopter.
"It’ll be 16 years for me in February, and it’s amazing that they’re still doing things to remember our fallen officers," she said.
Mayor Ed Braddy closed the ceremony with a proclamation certifying the helicopter — tail number N911GV — as a memorial.
"No words can express the gratitude of a city for those who have fallen and to express what it really means," Braddy said to the crowd.
"May each flight allow the memory of those officers to continue to watch over the city of Gainesville from above."
Contact Giuseppe Sabella at gsabella@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Gsabella
Sally Dahlem, widow of Lt. Corey Dahlem, stands next to a helicopter that was repainted to memorialize her husband and other fallen police officers. “I think it’s beautiful,” she said. “It was a wonderful surprise.”
