ICYMI: CBP Dedicates New Valor Memorial to Honor Fallen Personnel

WASHINGTON - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) dedicated its new Valor Memorial to honor the sacrifices of the agency's fallen personnel during a ceremony Nov. 19, 2024, at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Troy A. Miller pauses to read the names of fallen agents and officers on the Valor Memorial. CBP Photo by Glenn Fawcett

"We remember the service and sacrifice of CBP's fallen, as we dedicate our new Valor Memorial in their honor," Troy A. Miller, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner, said during his remarks. "Now and always, we look to this memorial and remember their bravery, dedication, and selflessness."

The Valor Memorial is a circular structure consisting of glass window panels, symbolizing the continuation of life and eternity, with no beginning and no end. The panels sit atop a granite foundation, which symbolizes CBP's strength and fortitude, and display the names of CBP's fallen heroes, evoking the notion that they are etched in our hearts forever.

The CBP Honor Guard poses for a photo in the Valor Memorial. CBP Photo by Glenn Fawcett

Currently, 328 individuals' names from current and legacy CBP agencies, including the U.S. Border Patrol, the Immigration Bureau, U.S. Customs Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Animal and Plant Inspection portions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and trade inspectors, are etched on the memorial's glass panels. Several words also adorn the structure, including CBP's core values of vigilance, service, and integrity, along with a quote from Laurence Binyon's Ode of Remembrance, which dates back to World War I. The quote, "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn, at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them," was chosen to always remember the sacrifice of the agency's fallen heroes.

"Unfortunately, the names of more heroes will be added. The nature of our work dictates this stark and somber reality," Mr. Miller said. "At our next Valor Memorial Ceremony, we will add the names of additional colleagues who have made the ultimate sacrifice. That is why this new memorial is actually so much more. It's a reminder of the living legacy of those we have lost throughout our agency's history."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.