Citizen Airmen participate in National Police Week

By Tech. Sgt. Louis Vega Jr., 944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs / Published May 22, 2017

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Citizen Airmen from the 944th Fighter Wing in their local police department uniforms along with defenders from the 56th Fighter Wing perform a 21-gun salute during the S.S. Mayaguez retreat ceremony May 18 at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Louis Vega Jr.)

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Local police officers and Citizen Airmen from the 944th Fighter Wing pose for a photo prior to the S.S. Mayaguez retreat ceremony May 18 at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Louis Vega Jr.)

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Julious Del Rosario, Glendale Police Officer and Tech. Sgt. with the 944th Security Forces Squadron, salutes the American flag during the S.S. Mayaguez retreat ceremony May 18, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Louis Vega Jr.)

LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Citizen Airmen in local law enforcement uniform joined forces with defenders from Luke Air Force Base on May 18 during the S.S. Mayaguez retreat ceremony here.

The event was one of many during National Police Week which ran from May 15-19 recognizing the service and sacrifice of law enforcement personnel.

The retreat ceremony was held to remember 56 SFS Airmen who lost their lives when Cambodian, Khmer Rouge communist forces seized the S.S. Mayaguez in international waters sparking an American military response. The incident took place May 12 to 15, 1975. Twenty-three men assigned to the 56th Special Operations Wing lost their lives. The S.S. Mayaguez retreat ceremony and 21-gun salute took place at the Wing flagpole.