Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Jenn,

I went for my first tractor-trailer ride on Saturday with my husband Jeff. We went to Delaware and on the way back over the Bay Bridge, I saw a beautiful floral memoral for Duke. I couldn't stop thinking of you and Duke and your love for one another. I just wanted to let you know how much I love you and wish you a wonderful new year!

Your "cousin" in Pennsylvania,

Barbie

Barbie Allen

December 27, 2005

The news reported the identity of the elderly gentleman killed yesterday. He was 66 and his name was Michael. All night long I kept wondering about him and what his name was and whether or not he had family. I could not see his face, but I also wondered what he looked like. If you see a little elderly man with white hair and bald on top up there in heaven wondering around, show him around. Also, please continue to keep an eye on Krauss and your grandfather. No news is good news right!

I am keeping Brittney and Hannah over night tomorrow night. Can you believe Hannah will be 11 on Thursday? They are beautiful young ladies Duke. It seems like yesterday your sister was pregnant with her. I think in talking with Brittney her fondest birthday memory was being afraid of Barney. I wasn't in your life at that time, but your ex-girlfried was. Yes I still have that picture of you and her in my night stand LOL. I must be the only wife around that has a pic of her husband's ex in her night stand and thinks it is the most funniest thing. Remember that little love letter that one guy gave me when I was like 9 or 10 years old and I kept it and all of his pictures (of him and his dog Sparkles) and presents and you didn't understand why I kept all that stuff and you even threatened to throw it away? Well the other week at Wal-Mart, my mom and I saw his mom and grandmom. He actually told his mom what happened to you (and he never even knew you, but recognized me). I was laughing when I told his mom the story about you and her son's little love letter and pictures. She laughed as well. I will never forget how jealous you acted over a little boy Duke Aaron. It was cute! Her son is engaged to be married next year. I told her how wonderful of a marriage we had. Our entire relationship was wonderful and such a dream come true.

Well let me get off of here. I just wanted to really tell you that I found out the identity of the elderly man that was hit yesterday. I also wanted to tell you how much I love and miss you, but you know that all the time.

Love ya,
Jenn

Jennifer Aaron
Duke's Wife

December 27, 2005

Hey baby,

Now I am really considering crawling in a hole and not coming out. I seem to be the angel of death or a dark cloud or something and it is really creeping me out. I watched an elderly man take his last breath yesterday (if you want to call it that) after getting hit by a car that had passed me in the lane beside me. It seemed like forever before the cops and ambulance got there, but the terrible condition he was in, there was nothing no one could do. When I was on the phone with 911, they asked me if anyone could perform CPR. There was no way it could be done with the position he was in face down. When she asked me that question, I automatically remembered the conversation that you and I had that one time you didn't use gloves and were covered in blood. You always wanted to put others before yourself (which was a good thing), but you didn't use gloves much until you and I talked about how you could harm yourself and I if you didn't start thinking of your safety and health first before rendering aid to others. We went out the next day after that conversation and got you a glove pouch. You were concerned that work would say something to you because it was not agency issued for your gun belt, but I convinced you that it was for your own protection and mine that you had that pouch. Sadly, your glove pouch was one of the things that came up missing amongst other personal possessions of yours taken from the crash scene. I always wonder about your stuff, but I can't keep dwelling on it because like your chief put it to me, it is missing and no one knows where it went. I wished I had your shooting medal and ribbons that Trooper 6 gave back to your department. I put an article in the paper almost a year ago regarding the personal stuff on your gun belt and your shooting medal and ribbons hoping that it would jog someone's memory as to who may have had it last, but no one came forward. I just have to cherish what you had here at the house and believe me, I do. Anyway, the news mentioned the accident tonight and showed the scene my dad said. I guess I should try to get some sleep although I am not tired right now. I have to be at work in eight hours though. I heard that Krauss is hanging in there. Please Duke, keep an eye on him. I talked to your sister today, your grandfather was also taken to the hospital today. Please keep an eye on him as well. I was talking to Sharon before I came home tonight. I was telling her about everything and how I never hear of anything good any more. She said that maybe all this tragedy around me is to make me realize how lucky I am to be alive and need to start looking at the good in life. Speaking of Sharon, she and little Ricky and Devon came within literally two inches of being hit today when a car was broadsided and spun around towards them. You must have been looking out for them as well today because she said all she remember was screaming and putting her hands over her head because she was sure the car was going to get them and there was nowhere to go. Oh my Snookums, I know you have a long list of people to look out for, but please don't stop looking out for all of us. We need you Duke!

I love you more than anything in the world. Sleep tight my love.

Love,
Jenn

Jennifer Aaron
Duke's Wife

December 26, 2005

Merry Christmas Snookums! The holidays are just another day anymore and it seems to be the feelings of so many people that I have talked to. But I was determined to make good memories this year and I did. Thank goodness for all of our nieces and friends kids.

I love you more than anything in the world. Sleep tight my love.

Love,
Jenn

Jennifer Aaron
Duke's Wife

December 25, 2005

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS DUKE! I BET CHRISTMAS IS SOMETHING UP THERE!!

December 24, 2005

Duke,

Merry Christmas, we all miss you.

Always, Kim & Matthew

December 24, 2005

Your brother needs you to look over him right now. Please help him and his family through this incident.

I am thinking of you and Jen this holiday season. Merry Christmas Duke. Stay strong Jenn !!

PO. Rollhauser
BPD

December 23, 2005

Merry Christmas Duke! I sure miss you man.

Stan

Stan

December 22, 2005

Duke,

I like to wish you a Merry Christmas & a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Shannon Grace

Shannon Pratt

December 22, 2005

Hey Duke,

Oh where to begin. I guess I will start with last Saturday. Mark had to thank you for a successful season of deer hunting. He said he could have done without the one that cost him his $250 insurance deductible though LOL. Out of the three that he got, the second doe (the one he hit with his truck) was the biggest. Yeah she put a hurting on his brand new truck, but he knew you were with him and looked out for him. Then later that night, I had a slumber guest. I couldn’t believe little Debi wanted to spend the night with me. She has not stayed at our house since you and I kept her at about 8 months old. I can honestly say she is more self-sufficient now and is a lot easier to take care of except she still doesn’t want to go to bed until she is ready. I took her for a drive to look at Christmas lights. When she would see Santa lawn ornaments, she would get excited and say “Ho Ho”. We sang some Christmas songs. When I would stop singing, she would say, “do it again”. I know you would have gotten tired of my horrible singing after the first note because you would tell me to shut up even when I would try to sing in the shower LOL. When we finally went home for the evening, we got on the computer briefly so I could check my email. I have a picture of you and Sgt. Blake on my monitor from an event that you both attended last spring. I pointed to you and said, “you don’t remember your Uncle Duke, but he loved you”. She said back, “Uncle Duke” and I said yes. She also asked who Sgt. Blake was and I told her. After I logged off line, your picture reappeared. She got excited and said “Uncle Duke”. I was so happy she remembered your name and then she finally fell asleep. She slept on your side of the bed all night.

On Sunday, my mom and I took Debi to a baby shower for a guy (okay I can hear you being sarcastic right now so let me clarify that he wasn’t the one having the baby) I used to baby sit before you and I ever met. Oh you would have been just as shocked as I was when she got sick three times in my car. If you think the time you had to rush home and wait for me to get home from work just to change her diaper was a crisis, try dealing with vomit. Ugh!!! Now I see why we weren’t ready for a kid LOL. But honestly, after she calmed down from being sick and crying, nothing was greater than her tiny little fingers wrapped around my index finger and hearing her tell my mom so innocently “I sorry I puke on Ju-Ju”. I remember you telling me that I would make a great mom that one time you came up with that off the wall comment. I thought you were joking with me, but you actually defended your comment. I still to this day don’t understand how you could think I would have made a great mom, but I guess you saw something in me that I didn’t. I guess we will never know huh.

This entire week has been eventful. Besides being sick, I got to spend time with a lot of my co-workers at our annual Christmas party this past Wednesday. Then I got to do my first ride-a-long bomb call for a suspicious package with my guys. I could hear you say “are you crazy” over and over in my head, but I wanted to go on the ride-a-long and it was awesome. I trust the guys I work with 100% and I knew they would never do anything to jeopardize my safety. The drive from Calvert County to Baltimore County in rush hour traffic was an adrenaline rush. Then watching them handle the call only reinforced how lucky the State of Maryland is to have these guys willing to protect the citizens who live here. I will never forget you saying how crazy my guys must be for wanting to be on the Bomb Squad. I would just laugh at you.

Last night I went over Kim and Stan’s house for our annual holiday dinner. Shannon, Jen, and little John came. Matt is getting so big Duke. He knows you from the pictures and he says “Doook”. I can still hear you calling his name and I told Kim and Stan that the picture of you and him in your camouflage baseball hat from Shannon’s Christmas party remains on top of the entertainment center. I didn’t mean to break down and cry, but I couldn’t help but think how he (like little Debi) is getting so big and you are not physically here to watch him grow. Stan mentioned and had us laughing about you putting Matt on the four-wheeler. Then Stan brought up the time Jarrod asked you to set up a friend in a hometown version of the television show Punk’d. You pulled the guy over (after getting a phone call from Jarrod that the car you were looking for was heading your way) and after screwing with him for a few minutes, he found out that it was all a set up and you and Jarrod had Punk’d him. You laughed so hard when you told that story and Stan was laughing hard last night trying to remember the details of the story that you had told him.

Today I was supposed to attend the Maryland State Police awards ceremony, but it was cancelled due to the bad weather. Well actually I was kind of ordered in so few little words to go because I tried to get out of it. I believe it is for my five-year service pin, but no one would come out and give me a definite answer. Awards recipient families were invited, but I didn’t even do that. It is supposed to be rescheduled and I still don’t want to go. I come to work every day and do my job because it is my job. I guess I am modest because I don’t believe I am worthy of recognition for doing what is expected of me. But the main reason I really don’t want to go is because I haven’t been to an awards ceremony since your department’s awards ceremony. For three years in a row, I watched proudly as you accepted legitimate awards for successfully putting your life on the line to protect the rest of us from unsafe drivers. And yeah for that stunt you pulled for climbing down to the catwalk below the main span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to stop a suicidal jumper in a thunder and lighting storm (you shocked everyone with your bravery for that one). I remember you telling me you told her, “I’ve already notified one family this week. I don’t want to have to notify another” because several days before that, you called me (a little shaken up and depressed) from a trailer near the Bridge to tell me you were guarding the body of a woman who had just jumped and you were waiting notification of her next of kin. It was so funny during the awards ceremony you received Officer of the Year for the entire department for the situation (when you saved the woman from jumping) when you looked back at me as they were reading off a brief explanation about the recipient of the award (before you ever knew it was you) and with a puzzled look on your face you said “I think they are talking about me”. As they got more in-depth about the recipient, you looked back and still puzzled said, “they are talking about me”. Sure enough, your name was called. I cried tears of joy and everyone in the room gave you a standing ovation. I remember someone on the awards committee telling me that you won because anyone crazy enough to climb down to a catwalk on the main span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge deserved that award. Those were good times and proud moments of achievements weren’t they? I will always be proud of you and your achievements.

We have had several snow showers the past couple of weeks. I could hear you saying, “it’s snowing, it’s snowing” over and over in my head like you would normally do in an eager and excited tone of voice. It has just been enough to cover the ground and make people panic LOL. Thanks for not overdoing it up there. Between the snow and Christmas coming, I think more and more about us and about our ten years of life together and wonder why everything was taken away. The two comments that always stick in my head are the comments I hear from so many people about how much in love we were and how happy we were. So why did all this horrible tragedy happen to us and why are we forbidden to be together? Why am I left questioning why I feel punished because things are happening that I don’t like and why things I want to happen right now I am not able to have. Last night while trying to get the answers to those questions (because I got myself upset), I stopped myself dead in my tracks when I hollered out to you “to hell with your heavenly duties, I need you right now”. I couldn’t believe I used the word hell the way I did (although I know you know that I am much more guilty of saying worse). After I made that comment, I found myself feeling guilty of being selfish because God needed you apparently more there in heaven than here on earth and how dare I go against God and demand your full attention for petty stuff. I could hear you telling me “what do you want me to do” like you would always say when things were out of your hands or you didn’t have the answers to my dilemmas. I then thought about how God has a purpose for everything and I realized our destinies are out of both of our hands and only in his and I have to trust that one day, I will figure out why things have happened the way they did when only God is ready to disclose those reasons to me through living the rest of my life to the fullest extent possible. As my new co-worker Derek put it to me yesterday, “this life is not a dress rehearsal”. He went on to say how we only get one shot at it. I know you will be with me every step of life I have left to live. I have to really work on stop asking the question “why” and start allowing and accepting things to happen the way they fall into place because that is how God intends my “whys” to be answered.

I love you more than anything in the whole wide world Duke, but before I forget, quit messing around with the corvette. I know the hatch release button was broken darn it! Hey at least now the tac works LOL. I know, I know, you "told me so", but I am not ready to stop dumping money into the "piece of crap" (as you called it) just yet. Stan busted out laughing last night when I told him how when I got the car to the corvette repair shop and ran down the list of repairs that I needed that they called me to tell me there was nothing wrong with basically anything I told them was wrong except the entire cluster panel needed to be replaced. The tac was your biggest frustration with that car. Hey, it just needed to be repaired :) I think I will just stop teasing you right now because I remember how frustrated you got with that car and dumping money into it LOL.

I love you!

Jennifer Aaron
Duke's Wife

December 16, 2005

Jenn, I've been reading your touching reflections to Duke for sometime now ........ I even had my wife read a few until she started to cry .......... last night my wife and I saw you on the news .......... the story about Police Officers and their patrol cars. You are one amazing person! Stay strong throughout the holidays. God Bless

Officer Estoque
CMH Security

December 16, 2005

Duke,

Because you were a cadet before you entered the academy, I always bothered you with questions about the Department. You always responded with sincerity and patience. Thank You Duke & Merry Christmas.

Jim Daly
Howard County PD

December 15, 2005

THANKS FOR THE SNOW DUKE!!!!!!!!!

December 10, 2005

Jennifer,

Thank you so much for the kind words you left on my husband's memorial page. I know that you're right, they aren't dreams, they're visits. I always feel a little better after I dream about him.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Life just isn't fair. I'll keep you and your husband in my thoughts and prayers especially during Christmas.

Jo Ann Lasater
Wife of Larry Lasater, EOW 4/24/05

December 1, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving my love. Wow, I can't believe I put the word "happy" in front of Thanksgiving this year. Honestly, it was a good one although there were moments in between when I buckled thinking of years past. I hope you had lots of turkey, mashed potatoes and rolls to eat today. I can still see you eating all those. My mom surprised me with a chocolate advent Christmas calendar this morning. I don't know. I bursted out in tears, but she told me how you would want me to open it every day until Christmas like we used to do together. One of us would take the odd days and the other would take the even. I know I said I was wanting to celebrate the holidays with my family this year, but I am not sure if I am ready for all our traditional things. I promise I will make the first step to see if I can. I know you will be there to give me the strength and courage.

I love you Snookums. Sleep tight my love.

Love ya,
Jenn

Jennifer Aaron
Duke's Wife

November 24, 2005

Hey there my Snookums,

I just wanted to share something with you. I joined a chatroom back in February after I got word that you and I were the topic of discussion after the news went public about the mess involving your rank change and the courts (I think everyone is now aware you are back to the rank of officer although it only took over a year to finally get everyone on the same page), but anyway, one of the ladies had a question about visiting loved ones at the cemetery (she was talking about her grandparents) and I just wanted to share with you what I wrote:

“There is no right or wrong way to grieve. Whatever makes you comfortable is what you need to do for YOU and no one else but YOU.

I don't visit my grandparents often. I get over there on holidays though. I guess I don't visit them because they aren't lonely (in my opinion). They are finally together in heaven and I know they are happy and not worried about the rest of us much here on earth. And I can't forget my grandparents anniversary dates of their deaths, especially my moms mom. She and my husband died on the same day two years apart (her in 2002 and him in 2004). I know on July 20th that my grandma is okay where I choose to spend my day. I know how much my grandpop meant to her so I know she is okay with me thinking about my husband more so.

I visit my husband on the weekends. I find going there and talking to my best friend (the one who knows the true me and knows me better than anyone else) comforting. He was my best friend who I always ran and talked to when I had problems and wanted to share exciting news with and I find it no different now except when it comes to problems, I am on my own when it comes to figuring them out or resolving them. People who drive by probably think I am crazy sitting there talking to nothing, but in my heart, I know he is there with me and I am really not talking to nothing. One of the things I made a promise and always make sure of is that he has at least one rose there. He always brought me roses and now it is my turn to do the same for him.”

Now that it gets darker earlier, I will only be able to come over on the weekends like last year unless I get over there at lunchtime. But the last two times I tried to visit with you at lunchtime, there was a funeral both times. I have such great timing don't I!

Also, I got a visit from Cpl. Prioleau this afternoon at work. He surprised me with a picture taken by the Governor's Office at the Bay Bridge Walk 2004. Of all things, there you are standing in the middle of both the Mike's and right next to L-4. Okay, this is going to be wrong, but I didn't start crying until I looked down and saw the license tag L-4. Cpl. Prioleau and I got to talking about you and "your car". He told me the last time he talked to you that he was leaving work while you were just going out on patrol in what else but L-4. I told him how you washed that car faithfully, but you never washed my car. It just went to show how much you loved that car LOL. I also told him how I can't go past an unmarked black Crown Vic. without feeling like someone is stabbing me in the heart. I am okay with any other color, but black.

Oh Duke, with the holidays coming, I must admit, I find myself thinking about everything more. The only positive thing I can think of regarding the holidays is how I truly do want to spend them doing the traditional things we used to do. I do plan on going to my moms and then to my dads this year. The same for Christmas. I told my mom that maybe this year I will let her take pictures of me because last year I didn't want to be reminded that Christmas even existed. So with Christmas coming, does that mean I might be looking at another little Christmas tree like it is a stray animal wanting to come home with me??? I guess I will have to wait and see if anything catches my attention like that little tree did last year. I am sure you will have a hand in that happening if it is true.

I love you Duke.

Love,
Jenn

Jennifer Aaron
Duke's Wife

November 17, 2005

Jenn - as the holiday season fast approaches I just wanted to let you know that you are still in our thoughts and our prayers. I know I haven't called you in quite some time but I promise I will catch up with you soon. You are still as strong as ever and I know that God & Duke give you every ounce of strength you have! Even though time passes, I know the pain still lingers and that will never be easy but I hope you can find some comfort knowing that you are in many of our thoughts & prayers constantly! Continue to keep your head high. Please don't ever hesistate to call me for anything!

Duke - Continue to watch over Jenn & let her know you are there & continue to give her that strength that she has.

Thinking of you often.
Nicole

Nicole
Wife of a MDTAP Cpl.

November 14, 2005

Hey again Duke,

I forgot to tell you about John's/Jen's father/father-in-law. Mr. Steve was physically hit while leaving work by another officer's patrol car early yesterday morning in the SW District. I got a call from Jen shortly after 7a. She started off by asking me what I was doing. I told her I was sleeping and then she proceeded to tell me about Mr. Steve. Baltimore PD came to take her mother-in-law up to Shock Trauma. Jen was so upset and just wanted to talk and tell me all that was happening and how concerned she was for John and his parents. I offered to watch little John for her while she went up to the hospital, but Kim watched him for her instead. My heart ached for her and John's family.

After I got off the phone with her, I remembered when my dad was hit by the truck while running radar on I-95 back in 2002. I remember being at work and Mrs. Dawn calling me and telling me my dad was hit while on duty, broke his leg and for me to get up to Bayview. I remember calling you and the rest of my family to tell you what was going on. Remember how he was put on a breathing ventilator because they thought he had a stroke after his surgery, but what really happened was they overdosed him on morphine and anesthesia which made him not respond and slow his heart down. That was a nightmare, but it didn't compare to the nightmare of losing you. When my dad was injured, the feeling felt different than when I found out you had been injured. Somehow I knew you weren't going to be alright. I knew something was already missing from me before I ever found out your condition. I thought that being in charge of making decisions for my dad was rough, but at least I had my brother and sister to help me with decisions involving him. With you and your situation, although I had lots of support, being your wife, I was on my own with the decisions I was making for you. We took the wedding vows "through sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part..." and I kept my promise to you.

Jen finally called me later yesterday evening to tell me how Mr. Steve was doing. He has a long road to recovery, but he was able to come home yesterday. Time will heal his wounds, but I am not sure if he will continue his career. In the meantime, please Duke, keep watch over John (for Jen's sake) while he is on duty and make sure he comes home safe to Jen and little John every time.

I love you Snookums. Sleep tight my love.

Jenn Aaron
Duke's Wife

November 13, 2005

Policeman's Prayer to St. Michael
St. Michael, Heaven's glorious Commissioner of Police, who once so neatly and successfully cleared God's premises of all its undesirables, look with kindly and professional eye on your earthly force.

Give us cool heads, stout hearts, hard punches, an uncanny flair for investigation and wise judgement.

Make us the terror of burglars, the friend of children and law-abiding citizens, kind to strangers, polite to bores, strict with law breakers and impervious to temptations.

You know, St. Michael, from your own experiences with the devil that the policeman's lot on earth is not always a happy one; but your sense of duty that so pleased God, your hard knocks that so suprised the devil, and your angelic self-control give us your inspiration.

And when we lay down our night sticks, enroll us in your Heavenly Force, where we will be as proud to guard the throne of God, as we have been the city of men. Amen.


God Bless you and your family,

Sgt. John Huinker
Niles, IL P.D.

November 13, 2005

Duke,

Since the holidays are approaching, last Thursday, I brought out the videos from Halloween 00, Christmas 00, Christmas 01 and Christmas 02. I just wanted to remember the fun times, but I mostly wanted to hear your voice. My how we laughed a lot. I thought it was really funny how every Christmas we were both coughing our heads off. Christmas of 2000 was your worst year. Christmas of 2001 was my worst year and Christmas 2002 we were both about equal. I didn't get to watch Christmas 03 because it was late and I wanted to go to bed. It was funny watching you read who your presents were from. Remember how they would either be from Santa, me, the cats or Amber. You would always guess which presents were your socks. And in every single video when you opened up your Levi jeans, you would always make comments on working on your truck in your new pair of jeans and getting them dirty. I made a comment when you opened up your power sander how you could now sand my stair bannister down and hang it back up. I saw a common thread running through all the videos when it came to all the power tools that Santa or I bought you. I was trying to make hints as to what still needed to be done around the house LOL. I admit, you did a lot around the house and I am grateful to be able to enjoy and appreciate all that you did. I was also laughing at how rigged up the Christmas lights were. You got some good shots of the porch light outlet and there must have been eight to ten cords running into that. Thank God we never had a fire because we definitely weren't smart at first on how to cut down on so many cords at one outlet. Okay, I am not going to lie, I cried as much as I laughed watching those videos.

Then Friday night, my mom, Mr. Phil and I took Debi and Katie to see Santa come to Eastpoint Mall. Mom and I were talking about how lame it was that he arrived so early and how we really couldn't get into all the Christmas carols and events that were taking place because everything was happening to soon. My mom was joking and said next year they will have him jumping out of a pumpkin if they keep having him arrive so early. Christmas has become so commercialized that it seems like it is a competition between the malls to see who can get Santa to visit the soonest. Speaking of Santa, I still believe :) Remember when I worked as Santa's helper at the picture booth many years ago? Well when I put Katie in his arms, he looked up at me and said "how are you doing Jenn?" I was shocked he remembered me working with him and he remembered you and I taking that picture with him (which I always kept out and still keep out on the entertainment center in the living room). He went on to tell me he knew what happened to you and how he saw me on the news several weeks back. I didn't mean to, but I started tearing up and it got him teared up. I felt bad because there were a hundred people or so standing around probably wondering why Santa and I were embracing and looking like we were ready to cry. I must say, it brought new meaning to the lyrics "he knows when you are sleeping, he knows when your awake..."

Last night I went out with Jaime to dinner and then we went shopping. We were at the Avenue at White Marsh. Everything was decorated for Christmas. With seeing everything decorated, I couldn't help but think about the detailed diagram you drew of our house and where all the lights went and where they all plugged into each other. I cherish that drawing. Jaime and I drank hot chocolate and then left to go to Target and Walmart. After that, we went to Burger King on Merritt Boulevard. Before you and I ever met, she and I would just drive up and down Merritt Boulevard and go to the mall or wherever else we could go being under 21. Somehow we always found ourselves at Burger King buying chocolate pies. Even though we are way over 21 now, last night was no different and the pies tasted the same. It was nice to escape back to my childhood memories for once.

Well my Snookums, I am going to go visit Ann and Justin today and have dinner with them. You would laugh at his email address. It is chevyguy03. Remember how you and him would pull up next to each other at Dunkin Donuts and tease each other about how you were going to take parts off of his truck and he was going to do the same with your truck. Remember going to look at mini choppers with them? That was funny. You never got to visit their new house, but I was there once before and it is really pretty. I think you would have been trying to convince me to move to Carroll County after seeing where they live.

I love you Duke.

Love,
Jenn

Jennifer Aaron
Duke's Wife

November 13, 2005

Hey Jenn, Please know that as the time passes by you and your family are still in my thoughts and prayers. You are an incredible woman. Thinking of you often, Jen

PO. Rollhauser
BPD

November 10, 2005

Duke,

Today MdTA Cpl. Oden will receive the Duke Aaron Memorial Fund Scholarship. He is the first recipient of the scholarship. It is so awesome that the first recipient be someone from your department. I had been told that he is most worthy of this scholarship. One of the things I am most proud of doing to honor your memory was to allow the 100 Club to use your name for such an honorable cause. I am proud of Cpl. Oden. I know you are as well. Please look over him today as he accepts his scholarship.

I love you Snookums.

Love,
Jenn

Jennifer Aaron
Duke's Wife

November 4, 2005

Hey Duke,

Another Halloween without you. When I woke up this morning, Blackie was standing in the window and I automatically remembered that picture of you holding him next to the pumpkin on his first Halloween. Another year our house has not been decorated. Remember how your sister would tease us about the orange glow coming from our house that could be seen from the top of the road. I know you are disappointed in me, but I promise you one day that I will again make you proud and decorate like we used to do for all holidays. I haven't carved a pumpkin since you and I carved them back in 2003. Maybe next year I will do so. The other week, I brought a bag of candy corn to work and the guys I work with devoured the entire bag. Watching them kind of reminded me of you and how you loved eating candy corn.

Last Thursday, I picked up Brittney and Hannah after work so that we could spend our annual Halloween baking evening together like the four of us would do after we moved in to the house in 2000. This year they wanted to bake cookies and cupcakes both so after Hannah's soccer practice, we went to Giant and picked up the pre-made cookies (because we didn't have enough time to make homemade ones) and cupcake holders because I had cake mix already at the house. Hannah was talking about the huge cookie that you helped them make. As I watched them make their stuff, my heart ached. Reality hurts the most during times like that.

Then on Saturday, my cousin had her annual Halloween party for the kids and their classmates. She started that tradition last year and unfortunately I missed it, but I was not going to miss it this year and it was so much fun. Everyone had a great time. You dressed up twice in the over ten years that we were together so I knew if you were there, you would have been dressed up and hiding in the woods like my cousin Chris and his parents were doing during the haunted hay rides that Missy's husband Chris was giving with the golf cart and trailer being pulled behind it. Little Debi was dressed up as Cinderella or Rella as she calls her. Abby and Lizzy were a vampire and a Josie pussy cat. Missy made caramel apples. They were your favorite.

I asked Sharon if we were going to sit outside like we always do. Her brother is in the hospital so it will depend on if he is doing well whether or not she will be home in time. I have 180 lollipops ready. I remember how you would always have to run out to the grocery store because we always seemed to run out of candy. You always spent quite a bit of money on candy you considered the good stuff. You would put a pot of coffee on for you and Sharon and you would crank up the stereo with the Halloween music cd. We would dress Amber up in her lady bug costume, but I haven't even dressed her up the past two years. I am sure she is greatly appreciative though.

Well babe, please watch over all of us tonight as we partake in another Halloween without you being here. Hope Heaven has pumpkins for you to carve and caramel apples and candy corn for you to eat!

I love you Duke.

Love,
Jenn

Jennifer Aaron
Duke's Wife

October 31, 2005

Jennifer,

We met briefly in Washington D.C. when my husband served as escort officer to Denise Zimmerman. I haven't been on the site lately and just saw that the trial of the man who killed your husband is finally over and in the past. Unfortunately, a second tragedy occurred when he was sentenced to only three years for taking your husband's life. It still sickens and shocks me to see that that the court's give so little value for a human life, especially that of an officer serving his community. It sounds like you were as courageous and brave during the victim impact statement as you have had to have been for the past year +. As far as leaving the courtroom so that you didn't have to hear his "apology" I would have done the same and if it is possible to be proud of someone you have only met briefly then I am. I will continue to keep you and Duke in my thoughts and prayers.

Colleen Brandt
Proud Wife of a NJ State Trooper

October 26, 2005

Duke, you would be so proud of your wife and everything she has been through and done since you have been gone. She has so much strenght and courage and I look up to her for that. Please watch over her the next few months, as the holidays are so difficult.

Denise Zimmerman
Surviving Spouse of NJ State Trooper Bert Zimmerman

October 26, 2005