In watching Phil teach our recruits, I experienced his compassion, his quiet strength, his joy of life, and his deep sense of responsibility. Let me read you a poem which conveys these qualities in him. [Starts reading] "I am at ease. It's end of day. My duty has been done. The hour calls me far away, beyond the setting sun. Meet me by the ocean's rocks, in the shadows on the lane. Find me in the snowflakes as they crowd against the pane. Or beckon me in silence, then listen to the breeze. And you will hear me always, for at last I stand at ease." [pause] Phil's wish that he be cremated was carried out earlier this morning. There will be no graveside service. God bless you and thank you for coming.
[Walks to chaplain] That was very moving, sir. The rock and the silence and all. Was that Simon and Garfunkel?
No, that was Phil Esterhaus. He wrote a lot of poetry.
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