Fallen Heroes Memorial Program 2026
North Carolina Department of Adult Correction
Fallen Heroes Memorial
May 5, 2026 at 9:00 a.m.
RANDALL BUILDING
831 West Morgan Street
Raleigh, N.C.
I Never Dreamed It Would Be Me
I never dreamed it would be me.
My name for all eternity,
recorded here at this hollowed place.
Alas, my name, no more my face.
“In the Line of Duty” I hear them say.
My family now the price will pay.
My folded flag stained with their tears.
We only had those few short years.
The badge no longer on my chest.
I sleep now in eternal rest.
My sword I pass to those behind.
And pray they keep this thought in mind.
I never dreamed it would be me.
And with a heavy heart and bended knee,
I ask for all here from the past...
Dear God, let my name be the last.
Author Unknown
We extend our deepest gratitude to each of you for joining us in honoring the lives and service of our fallen heroes. Your presence today is a testament to the strength of our North Carolina Department of Adult Correction family and the enduring impact of those we have lost. May we continue to carry their legacy forward with integrity, dedication, and unity.
Thank you for standing with us in remembrance.
Special thanks to the North Carolina Correctional Association for the memorial wreath and peace lilies.
Order of Service
| Event | Participant |
|---|---|
| Welcome | Dr. Anthony O. Vann Chief Deputy Secretary Administration |
| Presentation of Colors & Memorial Wreath | NCDAC Honor Guard |
| National Anthem | Marie Polo Division of Community Supervision |
| Memorial Prayer | Rev. Dr. Sarah Jobe Director of Chaplaincy Services |
| Opening Remarks | Leslie Cooley Dismukes Secretary |
| Roll Call | Tammera Hill Chief Operating Officer |
| Memorial Poem | Loris Sutton Senior Deputy Secretary Special Operations and Intelligence Unit |
| Three Volley Salute Retiring of Colors |
NCDAC Honor Guard *will include the sound of gunfire from blank cartridges |
| Closing Remarks | Dr. Anthony O. Vann Chief Deputy Secretary Administration |
* Special thanks to Kirk Vann Hyning of the Raleigh Pipe Band
*S.H.I.E.L.D. staff are available onsite today in the third floor conference room for support, and afterward via access line at 855-774-4353.
North Carolina Department of Adult Correction
Fallen Heroes
Staff whose lives were taken or lost due to natural causes while on duty.
Community Supervision
- William Vance Lee
EOW: 9/11/1989 - David Shawn Cortner
EOW: 7/12/1999 - Jeffrey Lynn Settle
EOW: 8/4/2011
Institutions
- J.C. Freeman
EOW: 9/18/1915 - Thomas Peter Sale
EOW: 1/28/1916 - A.D. Spivey
EOW: 8/30/1928 - Ernest Hux
EOW: 8/30/1934 - Andrew Lewis Ayscue
EOW: 2/22/1935 - James S. Chesser
EOW: 12/28/1939 - H. Carl Keith
EOW: 5/25/1945 - George S. Bowman
EOW: 3/4/1947 - Kermit Dale Jackson
EOW: 7/21/1960 - Earl Strickland
EOW: 6/2/1969 - Jenette W. Fish
EOW: 5/19/1975 - Randall C. Cupp
EOW: 6/5/1986 - Alan Kirk
EOW: 7/15/1991 - Leslie John Besci
EOW: 6/30/1992 - William Davis
EOW: 11/16/1998 - David Anthony
EOW: 10/27/1998 - Shannon Smith
EOW: 11/9/1999 - Jimmy Fisher
EOW: 1/2/2007 - Edward Pounds
EOW: 1/9/2010 - William Lee Wright
EOW: 4/12/2012 - Keith Decarlo Smith
EOW: 12/1/2012 - Meggan Callahan
EOW: 4/26/2017 - Justin James Smith
EOW: 10/12/2017 - Wendy Shannon
EOW: 10/30/2017 - Geoffrey Alan Howe
EOW: 11/12/2017 - Travis Oates
EOW: 2/2/2021 - Helen Mae Smith
EOW: 2/3/2022 - Crystal Melton
EOW: 7/25/2023
Correction Enterprises
- Veronica Darden
EOW: 10/12/2017
Engineering, Construction and Maintenance
- Jeffery McKay
EOW: 8/14/2023
Special Operations and Intelligence Unit
- Samuel Poloche
EOW: 4/29/2024 - William Alden Elliott
EOW: 4/29/2024