THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 12, 1995 TAG: 9511110161
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
Being a police officer is a dangerous job. The possibility of death or injury is never far from the thoughts of officers and their families.
We usually think of the danger in terms of shooting it out with desperate criminals or rushing valiantly to the rescue of innocent victims - dramatic circumstances in which heroism is easy to recognize.
It's more difficult to understand the death of Chesapeake officer Daniel Eaker last week in a freak accident while on the most routine assignment.
For him, the day he died was just another day on the job. One minute he was finishing up some paperwork and responding to a motorist's summons; the next he was stepping into the path of oncoming traffic.
Those who knew him say Officer Eaker was an exemplary citizen, family man and policeman. During his 12 years with the Chesapeake Police Department he had received numerous letters of commendation for his performance.
Officer Eaker's death is a reminder that heroism isn't always a dramatic confrontation between the forces virtue and evil. Sometimes it is simply good people doing a job that needs to be done.
The men and women who, like Officer Eaker, work diligently, day after day, night after night, to keep our city safe are all heros, deserving of our respect and gratitude.
Keep Officer Eaker and his family in your prayers. Remember, too, the many others like him who do their duty. by CNB