FORT WORTH, Texas – Service members, civilian personnel and family gathered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base’s Navy Operational Support Center Drill Hall to honor Master-at-Arms 1st Class Patrick Zamarripa, Aug. 27.
Zamarripa served eight years on active duty then joined the reserves at Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 13 (NCHB 13) before joining the Dallas police force. He was one of five police officers killed July 7 by a lone gunman during a protest in Dallas.
Lt. Fred Wood, NAS Fort Worth JRB security officer, served Zamarripa’s division officer in the harbor patrol unit in Bahrain from 2008 to 2009.
“Our responsibility was to guard the seaways and the harbor entrance to the 5th fleet and ensure that all US/NATO naval vessels safely entered and exited this valuable harbor in the Middle East,” said Wood. “Patricio stood out as a true professional and a man I could always count on. He was young and full of fire, yet mature and ready to do whatever was needed to accomplish the mission.”
Wood said he admired Zamarripa’s professionalism, leadership ability, his can-do spirit and his dedication to task.
Senior Chief Master-at-Arms Cesar Rodriguez worked with Zamarripa in the reserves and as a fellow police officer at the DART Police Department.
“In the Navy, I was his senior enlisted leader at NCHB 13,” said Rodriguez. “In the civilian sector, would occasionally run into each other on the streets since both of us patrolled same areas. Sometimes I would stop to back him up, other times he would stop and check on me.”
With every memorial service, the military conducts the “Final Roll Call” of everyone in the unit. As the unit leader reads the name of his/her Sailors, they sound off that they are present. Upon announcing the deceased’s name, the room is silent. After three attempts to muster, a bugler plays taps.
On the third attempt to muster Zamarripa, his father, Enrique, stood up, and said “here” in his son’s place.
Zamarripa’s family described him as an ‘extreme patriot of community, state and country’ in the obituary.
| Date Taken: | 08.27.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.30.2016 15:16 |
| Story ID: | 208519 |
| Location: | FORT WORTH, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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