E28 - The Real Story Behind Fallen Officer Joshua T. Miktarian

Police officers are the first line of defense against criminals and violence in society. They put their lives on the line every day, and often pay the ultimate sacrifice. Some call them heroes. We call them our friends, our family, and our neighbors. They are the men and women who put on the badge and risk everything to serve and protect their communities. 

In today's society, police officers are constantly under scrutiny. They are oftentimes accused of using excessive force, racism, and corruption. While one bad apple can ruin an entire bunch, the vast majority are honorable and hardworking people who are trying to make a difference.

In today’s episode, Jim and Dan are joined by Holly Miktarian, wife of fallen officer Joshua T. Miktarian. Holly talks about Josh as the person behind the headline, the story behind what happened on the fateful day of July 13, 2008 that the media didn’t talk about, and how she keeps Josh's legacy alive.

Enjoy!

In This Episode

03:29 - Josh Miktarian: The man behind the name of a fallen officer

10:13 - That fateful day of July 13th, 2008

17:04 - The moments before Joshua fell lifeless to the ground

30:04 - The day after Holly's husband was murdered

35:18 - What concerned Holly today, despite the murderer's conviction

42:37 - What caused Holly to leave the police force

51:20 - How Saving a Hero's Place honors fallen police officers

52:20 - How Holly keeps Josh's legacy alive

1:02:31 - How Holly lived her life after the tragic incident

01:08:35 - Holly's final words

Favorite Quotes

32:33 - "I have to say for a moment, a microsecond, I was raised Catholic and I was like, is this the right thing to do (death penalty)? And then I immediately go to the way he was killed and absolutely it's the right thing to do." - Holly Miktarian

1:03:41 - "I distinctively remember after the funeral, when you just started to notice people leaving, my thought was I just don't want him to be forgotten. That's what fueled me. He shouldn't have died like he did. He didn't deserve that. He was just such a good guy." - Holly Miktarian

1:04:35 - "There are so many people in the United States that suffer from losing their loved one. It's sad. But it's amazing that people are remembered." - Holy Miktarian

1:08:43 - "There's so much more than just that uniform. They have families at home. They have people who care and love them. They have responsibilities. Hopefully, almost all of them are doing the best job that they can. There's no pay in the world that's enough for this job and certainly not enough to be killed doing this job. And I just think America can do better." - Holly Miktarian

1:10:53 - "Every cop you see has a life. They are just like you, they just chose a career in public service. And when you see a cop that gets killed, it's easy to say, ah, it's just a cop, that's what he signed up for. No cop signs up to get murdered. We sign up because we believe in the rule of law. And I believe that there have to be rules to have a free society." - Jim Larkin

1:12:43 - "This political climate, where they are waging war on the police is getting cops killed. It's emboldening the criminals to think they can do what they want to the police and it's making the police second guess having to kill a black man. They don't even wanna pull the pistol. No, that's exactly it. You want to try to deescalate. That's the new code word. Let's deescalate everything." - Jim Larkin and Dan Wilkinson Jr.

How to get involved

Click HERE to support and apply for scholarships at the Joshua T. Miktarian Memorial Scholarship Fund

Visit Officer Down Memorial Page to know more about fallen heroes

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