Recognition For DEA Agent James Terry Watson During The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
ST.LOUIS - U.S. Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special (SA) James Terry Watson was honored by the Fraternal Order of the (FOP), Lodge 2, in Rapid City, South Dakota on August 5, 2014, during a Fallen Law Enforcement Officer memorial ride as part of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
A memorial walk led riders to a hot meal and a concert in the park where signs displaying a photo and biography of each fallen hero lined the pathway to the park.
After the success of the first memorial ride last year, the mission this year expanded and was named the Blue and Chrome Law Enforcement Memorial Celebration, focusing on those who made the ultimate sacrifice. A letter addressed to DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart from the FOP, Lodge 2, announced the FOP’s plan to honor SA Watson by displaying his photo along with a narrative of his contribution to DEA and the community.
SA Watson paid the ultimate sacrifice on June 26, 2013, while working a U.S. mission in Colombia. SA Watson was born on December 9, 1970 in Monroe, Louisiana. After graduating from Northeast Louisiana University with a degree in Criminal Justice, he began a law enforcement career that would take him from Richland Parish, Louisiana to the mountains of Afghanistan. SA Watson served as a Richland Parish Sheriff’s Deputy and a Deputy U.S. Marshal before joining DEA in 2000. SA Watson served honorably with DEA in Honolulu, Puerto Rico, Afghanistan, and Colombia.
The ride covered 75 miles in the Black Hills and ended in Rapid City with a meal and concert in downtown Rapid City’s Memorial Park.
