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Kentucky police to scale Aconcogua in honor of fallen officer
10:06 a.m. EST Jan 9, 2004
Eddie Mundo, Jr. was known as an exceptional father, husband, son and friend. And co-workers knew him as an exceptional police officer who served the citizens of Kentucky for many years. On April 16, 2003, Eddie Mundo made the ultimate sacrifice as he lost his life in the line of duty. As he was searching for the perpetrator of an early morning domestic violence assault, Eddie's vehicle was struck head-on at high speed by the suspect's vehicle.
Now, fellow Louisville Officers Charlie Newman and Eric Culver will head up to the highest point in the Andes Mountains to climb in Eddie Mundo’s memory. The pair departs for Aconcagua this Sunday and will be climbing as part of the Cops on Top program, which “plans annual expeditions to the world’s most respected mountains raise public awareness about the dangers, stress and life-altering effects on the average police officer. A fallen officer’s memory serves as our banner and a memorial is placed on each summit attempted.”
Cops on Top is a group of volunteer climbers, who are primarily self-funded law enforcement officers from around the country. It was founded in 1998 by Sergeant Keith McPheeters of the Farmington New Mexico Police Department in memory of Officer Dale Claxton.
ExplorersWeb spoke with Charlie yesterday about his upcoming climb. Having started rock climbing in the Red River Gorge area of Kentucky as a Boy Scout, by age 17, he'd climbed Long’s Peak in Colorado and moved on to other fourteeners. He'’s been on Mount Rainier several times, and in 2001, he summited Mt. McKinley (Denali).
Charlie became involved with Cops on Top a few years ago. “The program does bring attention to the dangers of our job,” he said, “So many times when we lose someone, things seem to stop and end at the funeral procession. But this is a way to remember – and continue giving. Even when years go by, we want to continue giving to the families who have lost a son or daughter. Naturally, they feel, ‘My son or daughter paid the ultimate price – we want them to be remembered.’ For us, the mountain tops are the closest thing to the sky… we place a memorial up there. It brings closure to the families. Eddie Mundo’s dad says he’ll feel that sense of closure as we carry the memory of his son to the highest point in South America.
“We also return to give back locally. We visit the local schools, particularly those hard hit in troubled areas, and show them the gear, the slides, share the dream of climbing. We try to let these kids know they can climb a mountain – starting with their own mountain now. Maybe that mountain is getting out of trouble; maybe it’s staying off the streets, or perhaps the mountain of just staying in school. They have the chance to touch the gear, learn about what it takes to scale a mountain. The most important thing is that even on the highest mountain, doesn’t matter who you are, everyone starts at the bottom. It’s all about goal setting, and taking the first step, then taking one step at a time after that.”
With a department 1200 strong, the Louisville Police Department is now the 16th largest force in the US. Charlie has been able to convince about 6 others to climb along with him over the years. Eric's been climbing together with him for about two years. "Charlie told me on our first climb, 'Try it, this sport will make you look at the world differently.' And it has... I feel proud to be able to honor one of our brothers that has fallen in the line of duty. We are also honoring Officer Darren Potter who has paid for our freedom with his life serving in Iraq. We want to say thanks to all in uniform serving abroad whether on the streets or in the field, your service is appreciated and not forgotten."
And how do the other 1,196 law enforcment personnel feel? Charlie says, “At first they might have though I was a little crazy, but now, it's funny... I have departmental-wide support. I’ve been given the time off, and we’ve received a lot of supportive e-mail, many from great armchair adventurers – it's been great. It doesn’t matter what your differences are on the job, when we talk about a fallen officer, we come together. The mountains bring out the same feeling.”
Charlie and Eric will be using ExplorersWeb’s Contact 2.0 to send live images and dispatches from their trip.
Image of Aconcagua courtesy of Copsontop.com
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