Little Bryson’s hero dad was killed in the line of duty when a thug went on a shooting rampage that took Officer Brian Jones down in a rain of fire and hates for law enforcement.
It’s been 15 months since Bryson last saw his dad, and the boy’s 10th birthday was going to be yet another reminder of the massive void in his young life. He told his mom his single request for his birthday, but when he showed up for his party, it seemed to have gone ignored.
Bryson’s mother, Rebekah Jones, wanted to make her son’s party the very best it could be since life has not been easy for her child since his dad has been gone. She planned a modest get-together at BrickHeadz in Chesapeake Saturday and even arranged for Bryson to arrive in style in the back of a limousine. When he showed up, only a handful of family and close friends came to celebrate with him.
In the days leading up to the party, Bryson had told his mom that since his dad couldn’t be there with him, he thought it would be nice for other brave men and women in blue to come and fill his spot.
The request took his mother back a bit since the boy had been hesitant to interact with cops since his father died doing that job. But Rebekah put the request in a post online anyway, asking for anyone in the “blue community” to come to her son’s birthday party, at his invitation.
“I thought for my birthday after my dad died, I could have all the people that were with him and stuff,” Bryson told WAVY.
Much to the boy’s disappointment, the invitation seemed to go unnoticed, when not a single officer was at his party when he arrived. He brushed it off and went about the festivities when 30 minutes into the party something incredible happened. One by one, cops from across the state began showing up until around 30 uniformed officers were there to give Bryson a special birthday.
“Honestly, all I expected was four or five to show up,” Rebekah said with astonishment for the incredible turnout. “I never imagined it would be like this. It’s amazing.” Bryson tearfully hugged each one who came for standing by his side in place of his fallen father.
“There’s no doubt Brian is looking down and he’s so proud of his brothers in blue, sisters in blue, and I know he’s happy for Bryson,” the boy’s mother told the news station. “This is the first time in 15 months that I can honestly say Bryson is happy.”
Bryson wants to follow in his father’s footsteps, to protect and serve the community like these heroes do each day. It’s clear by his ambitions to become a police officer that he inherited his dad’s bravery. Wanting to go into the force in the future, despite knowing the danger firsthand, he seems determined to carry on his father’s legacy that was cut tragically short.
Bravo to these officers who took time out of their day to do something very special for this little boy, making a big difference on his birthday.
