State police in Butler honor fallen troopers
BUTLER TWP — State police solemnly gathered Tuesday outside of Troop D headquarters for a ceremony honoring the memory and service of the 105 troopers who have died in the 121-year history of the Pennsylvania State Police.
May 2 was proclaimed Pennsylvania State Police Day on May 2, 2015, by then Gov. Tom Wolf in recognition of the creation of the state police on May 2, 1905. National Police Week is May 10 to 16, and May 15 was proclaimed National Peace Officers Memorial Day in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy.
Of the 105 troopers who died in the line of duty, 12 were members of Troop D. Their names were read aloud in a ceremonial honor roll. The most recent trooper who died in service was Cpl. Timothy O’Connor, who was shot and killed during a March 8 traffic stop in Chester County.
“Every time a trooper puts on this uniform, they accept a known risk. They are individuals who look danger in the eye and vow to lay down their lives before turning away from their duty,” said Maj. Rocco J. Russo, commander of state police Area 1, which encompasses Troops C, D, E, F and G in the state’s western and north-central regions.
“We honor them by upholding the integrity, compassion and courage they embodied. To forget would be only true defeat. Instead, we choose to remember, to reflect and carry their fire forward,” Russo said.
Pvt. Floyd B. Clouse, a Bedford County native and World War II Navy veteran, was one of those honored. He was a trooper at the Butler barracks when he was shot and killed in the line of duty Nov. 2, 1953, at the age of 29, while responding to a call. Cpl. Harold Rice also was shot during the incident and survived.
Clouse and Rice were serving a disorderly conduct warrant on a man who barricaded himself in an upstairs bedroom of a home in White Township, Beaver County. The troopers faced gunfire when they broke down the door. Clouse died instantly when a bullet struck his head and Rice was shot in the mouth. Despite his injury, Rice managed to return fire and killed the man with two shots to the head, said Sgt. David R. Jungling Jr.
Clouse and Cpl. Gordon “Matt” Dillon were friends. Nine days before Clouse died, he was the best man in Dillon’s wedding. The couple were on their honeymoon when Clouse was killed.
In 1979, Dillon and his wife, Fran, placed flags in the shape of a keystone in the lawn in front of the Butler barracks as a memorial to fallen troopers. Dillon retired in 1983 and died in 2014.
In the 1990s, Jungling’s father, retired Lt. David Jungling Sr. and his friend, retired Lt. Robert Martin, raised money to install lighting that illuminates the flags.
Last year, Jungling’s son, Jackson, a Butler Senior High School student, earned his Eagle Scout badge by raising money and donations to pour a concrete border in the shape of a keystone inside the flags and dye the cement “state police gray.”
The 105 flags — one for each fallen trooper — are displayed annually from May 2 through Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
Descendants of Dillon, his daughter, Debbie Daniels, of Butler, and his granddaughter, Lindsey Jewart-Clifton, placed a flag in his honor at a bronze plaque recognizing him for creating the flag display.
“On behalf of our family, I just want to express our thanks for everyone that was involved in bringing the keystone memorial project … that honors my grandfather,” Jewart-Clifton said.
She thanked Jackson Jungling and his family for their work on the memorial, which her grandfather would have been proud of.
“It was very important to him to never forget the brave men and woman that were killed in the line of duty and he would be so proud to know that something he started is now going to be permanent,” she said.
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The presentation of colors was performed during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Captain Donald Sankey III starts off the Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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The presentation of colors was performed during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Major Rocco Russo salutes during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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The presentation of colors was performed during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Troopers salute during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Major Rocco Russo speaks during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Major Rocco Russo speaks during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Sargeant David Jungling, Jr. speaks during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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An honorary plaque is placed for Corporal Gordon “Matt” Dillon during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Cpl. Gordon “Matt” Dillon’s granddaughter, Lindsey Jewart-Clifton, is comforted by her husband, Paul Clifton, as she becomes emotional as her grandfather was honored during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those who have fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Captain Donald Sankey III speaks during a Memorial Day Ceremony as the family of Corporal Gordon “Matt” Dillon listen as they honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Sargeant David Jungling, Jr. speaks during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Jackson Jungling speaks during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Sgt. David Jungling, Jr., left, gives Debbie Daniels, daughter of Cpl. Gordon “Matt” Dillon, a flag to place for her father during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Corporal Gordon “Matt” Dillon’s granddaughter Lindsey Jewart-Clifton speaks for her family and the honor bestowed on her grandfather during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Beaver County District Attorney Nathan L. Bible speaks during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Trooper Douglas W. Arndt performs taps during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Trooper Douglas W. Arndt performs taps during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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The presentation of colors was performed during a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Troopers stand at attention during a Memorial Day Ceremony as the family of Corporal Gordon “Matt” Dillon listen as they honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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A small group attends a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor those fallen in the line of duty at the Troop D headquarters in Butler Township on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
