Corrections_Today_July_August_2021_Vol.83_No.4

Photos courtesy New Hampshire Department of Corrections

Right to left: Schaub, Conover, Griffin, Balderrama.

Schaub

Balderrama

such as Academy graduations, parades, school presenta- tions, and funerals. The Guard is led by Yair Balderrama. He has been in the New Hampshire Department of Corrections since 1998 and a member of the Honor Guard for over 20 years. He currently works as an Investigator. Balderrama really captured the essence of what National Corrections Officers and Employees Week is about when he said, “Every time I put the uniform on, it gives me a huge sense of pride knowing that I am representing the de- partment and all the professional people that work for it.” The Guard members also honor fellow officers who have fallen. “Nothing can remove the feeling of watching a fam- ily weep after losing a loved one. I find myself reflecting on my own life during these unfortunate situations and think, how lucky I am to be where I am at in life,” said Honor Guard member Preston Schaub, a 14 year veteran of the Corrections Department who currently works as an Investigator/K9 Handler. Ryan Conover, a 21-year veteran of the Department who is currently the Chief Probation/Parole Officer at the Keene District Office and has been with the Honor Guard since 2018 remembers a service for a Sergeant Bettens held at the prison. “To honor the life of someone that was so well re- spected in the department and to see the way we all came together was the moment that I realized that I made the best decision to apply for a place on the team,” said Conover.

Keith Griffin has been part of the Honor Guard for 14 years. He’s a civilian Supervisor II running Hobby Craft and Recreation at the Northern New Hampshire Correc- tional Facility. He remembers vividly the day the Guard was invited to participate in Opening Day at Fenway Park. “The amount of people that got to witness this amaz- ing team in action was out of this world,” he remembered. Corrections Today would like to thank each member of the New Hampshire Department of Corrections Honor Guard for their extra service on behalf of corrections of- ficers everywhere. And we would also like to thank all the corrections officers and employees who came together under difficult circumstances this year to honor the sacrifice and service of corrections officers and employees. As President Reagan’s proclamation founding this important week says: “The important work of correctional officers of - ten does not receive the recognition from the public it deserves. It is appropriate that we honor the many contri- butions and accomplishments of these men and women who are a vital component of the field of corrections.” You will see on the next few pages some of the length’s corrections officers went to make sure they could have a safe National Corrections Officers and Employees Week event while still managing to have fun and honor the service of their fellow officers.

By Kirk Raymond

Background image: istock/imagedepotpro

Corrections Today July/August 2021 — 27