FBI remembers 2 agents killed
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The Minneapolis division of the FBI on Tuesday dedicated its new $61 million facility in Brooklyn Center to two agents who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were killed on June 26, 1975, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. They were searching for a fugitive in Oglala when they came under heavy fire by three men and were killed.
At a ceremonial ribbon cutting Tuesday to celebrate the opening of the new building, FBI chaplain Brian Jaye said Coler and Williams made the ultimate sacrifice.
"May this be a place where the sacrifice of others is not forgotten," he said.
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The FBI's Minneapolis division oversees Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. It took nearly two years to complete the new complex, and the bureau's 200 local agents and staff members moved from their old facility in downtown Minneapolis earlier this year.
The complex provides the division with more space and upgraded amenities, such as a fully equipped emergency operations center that will allow employees to immediately get to work in the event of a crisis. In the past - during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, for example - agents in Minneapolis had to set up a makeshift command center when emergencies arose.
"This facility will help us be much more effective for the entire division," said Special Agent in Charge Don Oswald, who is retiring from the FBI this week.
Tuesday's event recognized those who helped make the building a reality, as well as current and retired FBI agents and other law enforcement officials. The event also recognized a few World War II veterans, who were in attendance.
Many speakers lauded the bravery and dedication of FBI agents.
"When they get up in the morning and their feet touch the floor, they put their very lives on the line," said William Blanski, design principal for HGA Architects and Engineers. He said working on the building was a privilege.
After the ribbon cutting, a private ceremony was held to honor Coler and Williams. Some pictures of the men were displayed inside the building, along with plaques honoring them for their service. One plaque read: "Fidelity Bravery Integrity ... By these ideals they lived and died."
