WAKEFIELD — This Sunday, the community is invited to gather on Wakefield’s Town Common as Wakefield Police Detectives Chris Grace and John Ryan are honored by the Horses to Heroes Foundation, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit. The Foundation will also introduce a horse they have named “Wakefield Strong” which they will be donating to the Chicago Police Department’s Mounted Patrol Unit.
The Foundation’s mission is to honor members of law enforcement and facilitate horse donations to mounted patrol units across the country. Its placements include the U.S. Park Police and units in New York, Houston, Virginia Beach, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
The Foundation selected Grace and Ryan based on their extraordinary bravery and courage when responding to the scene of a homicide in 2021, an act that earned them the Commonwealth’s George L. Hanna Medal of Honor. The Foundation opted to name the horse “Wakefield Strong” to recognize all of Wakefield’s law enforcement personnel who responded to and were affected by that horrific incident.
This unique ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 2 at 1 p.m. on Wakefield’s Lower Common. All are welcome to attend.