'He gave his life for them, he would do it again': Fallen officer honored 62 years later
PEWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The nephew of Waukesha's first fallen officer made it his mission to honor his uncle and the sacrifice he gave to his city.
It was a windy day at a Pewaukee cemetery as dozens of loved ones and police officers gathered to remember the life of George Schmidling. The Pewaukee native lost his life in the line of duty in 1961 after being shot by some burglary suspects he was taking back to the station to question.
"That, in fact, was the last time any of us saw George alive," Retired Pewaukee Police Chief and Schmidling's nephew Gary Bach said while remembering the final moments he spent with his uncle.
Bach has spent his entire life in awe of his uncle, who inspired him to become a police officer.
"I wanted to follow in his footsteps, and I did. I worked hard to do it," he said.
"I'll tell you what, Waukesha got the best when they hired him. He loved the city of Waukesha. He loved the department. He loved the people that he worked with, and he gave his life for them, and he would do it again."
One of Bach's bucket list items was to give his uncle the memorial he deserves. On Thursday, surrounded by family he had not seen in decades, he did just that. A new headstone, designed by Bach, was unveiled in front of Schmidling's children.
"When my father died, our family got lost, and so to come is here is a lot of sad memories, but today is a nice memory," George Schmidling's Daughter Vickie Monroe said.
"The stone is beautiful, and all the support of all these people is wonderful. I hope this dedication to my father makes better lives for other officers whose families go through what we went through. I hope it gives a better understanding of what happens."
The Waukesha Police Department honored Schmidling in the 1980s by naming their firing range after him.
George Schmidling's daughter Vickie Monroe shares one of the few pictures she has of her father, a photograph from her parent's wedding day.