How a Vietnam Veteran Built America's Most Sacred Police Memorial

Jan Scruggs didn't just build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial – he saved the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and created a sacred space where we honor every police officer who made the ultimate sacrifice.

When Craig Floyd was struggling to build a memorial for fallen law enforcement officers, he turned to the one man who had successfully built a national memorial in Washington, D.C. Jan Scruggs, the Vietnam veteran behind the iconic Vietnam Veterans Memorial, became the first full-time employee of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and guided the project through bureaucratic obstacles that could have killed it.

In this powerful episode, Scruggs reveals how he convinced Floyd that building the memorial required full-time dedication, introduced him to the right architect, and helped secure a prestigious location. The result? A memorial featuring guardian lions that symbolizes police and community unity, where over 24,000 fallen officers' names are engraved forever.

KEY MOMENTS:

6:35 - The lunch meeting that changed everything
16:22 - Why Jan chose to help law enforcement
18:21 - Fighting for the Ellipse location
20:35 - The importance of including officers' names
27:34 - Reflecting on the memorial's lasting impact

"If anybody was the right person for the job, this was for you," Scruggs told Floyd, recognizing the passion needed to honor fallen officers.

Today, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial stands as proof that when communities support their police, extraordinary things happen. Listen, like, and subscribe to the Heroes Behind the Badge on your favorite podcast app and join thousands of others supporting law enforcement.

This episode and many others can also be found at: HeroesBehindTheBadge.com