ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y.—New York State Police Troop F on May 16 hosted its annual memorial service honoring members who died in the line of duty over the past half century.

“We do it every year,” Troop F Commander Major Andre Terry told NTD, a sister media outlet of The Epoch Times, at the event.

“We bring families of members who have lost their lives to let them know that they are not forgotten.

“And we pay tribute to the service and the dedication that they provided for not only Troop F, but the state of New York.”

Troop F, one of 10 troops across the state, is headquartered in Middletown and covers five counties west of the Hudson River: Orange, Rockland, Ulster, Sullivan, and Greene.

Winston Martindale Jr., the most recent fallen member honored at the service, died on July 24, 2013, as a direct result of injuries sustained while on scene at a small plane crash in Wawayanda in 2011.

According to media reports at the time, when assisting crash victims, Martindale fell on a piece of equipment and had internal abdominal bleeding as a result.

Despite his injury, Martindale remained at the scene for hours. He underwent multiple surgeries afterwards and died two years later of complications from his last surgery.

David Brinkerhoff, a mobile response team member, was fatally shot on April 25, 2007, on an assignment to arrest a murder suspect; John McKenna, a trooper serving in the Marine Corps., was shot and killed on Aug. 16, 2006, after he ran to the aid of a fellow Marine under fire; and Richard Snyder, an investigator, was killed when interviewing a witness on Sept. 20, 1984.

“It is a very inspirational day for the state police as well as all the law enforcement that work alongside the state police,” Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta told NTD.

Arteta attended the service with many other law enforcement professionals in the Troop F region.

“They are really the premier law enforcement agency in the state of New York,” Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, who has attended the service many times, said of Troop F.

“This is a memorial [service] dedicated to their families and to them so that they are not forgotten.”

In a program brochure, Troop F thanked several supportive local organizations and companies, including Empire Auto, Pat’s Towing, and Bakery Plus.

Volunteers from Dragon Springs, a 400-acre campus and headquarters for Shen Yun Performing Arts, also donated Chinese food at the event.