On September 11^th, 2018 an Olathe teen, Luke Gwartney, unveiled a memorial to honor fallen Johnson County deputies as part of his Eagle Scout project.

Gwartney, an Olathe West High School student, came up with the memorial idea to honor three fallen Johnson County deputies who have been killed in the line of duty: Sgt. Willard Carver, Det. Gerald Foote, and most recently, Master Deputy Brandon Collins, who was killed on September 11, 2016 after being struck by a drunk driver during a routine traffic violation stop of another vehicle.

Luke accepted donations for the project in the form of cash, labor, as well as materials. In total, over $8,000 was raised, and local firms donated labor and materials to help complete the project.

Bob Jackson, VP of Kincaid Ready Mix, as well as the rest of the Kincaid Ready Mix crew caught wind of Luke’s project and were quick to step in and offer a helping hand. Jackson mentioned why his company felt compelled to join forces with Luke for this project. “We are glad we could help in this recognition of the fallen men and women who put their lives on the line just by putting on a uniform every day to protect and serve our communities.”

Gwartney had positive things to say about Kincaid Ready Mix and their contribution to the project. “I would like to say thank you to Bob Jackson and Kincaid Ready Mix for helping me out during my Eagle Scout project. They helped me so much by donating the concrete, which was amazing! I am super grateful for that and I think we (the boy scouts) all liked it when the concrete truck came out and showed us all how concrete works.”

Luke went on to say, “Also, I would like to thank them for doing it on a Saturday, that really helped us out a lot for making sure the project was done on time. On behalf on the Sheriff’s Office, we thank Kincaid Ready Mix for their contribution and dedication for helping the local community.”

This memorial was revealed to the community on September 11^th, the day Master Deputy Collins passed away. To read more about this story, see an interview with Luke, and get a better look at the memorial, we invite you to view this story by Fox4KC.