For many game wardens, the call came in late on March 24. There was an overdue pilot who last made contact from deep in the north Maine woods. Almost immediately, the search began.
Two warden service aircraft, equipped with infrared capabilities, launched into the darkness at 10:30 p.m. Searching for overdue aircraft is nothing new, but this time, they were looking for one of their own.
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Daryl Gordon, a game warden pilot, had been reported missing around 8:30 p.m. when he didn’t return home to his air base on Eagle Lake.
Working against the clock, as well as frigid temperatures and snow squalls that can disorient even an experienced woodsman, the two warden service planes and one other searched until 2:30 a.m.
When daylight returned just over four hours later, there were eight aircraft in the air, searching once again. Ground searchers in snowmobiles and trucks blanketed the probable areas where the plane might be found.
Two planes focused on the area where Gordon was last seen. They circled out from the center, each time in a slightly larger circle. Gordon and his plane were found at about 8:30 a.m. on Clear Lake in the tip of Piscataquis County, the most sparsely populated county east of the Mississippi.
Despite the initial success of finding their pilot, the mood was immediately replaced by the grim realization that they had lost him.
Game wardens frequently deal with death. They are called to the scenes of drownings, snowmobile crashes and hunting fatalities, but this was different.
Gordon was the first game warden to fall in the line of duty since 1992.
“Sometimes we forget how dangerous law enforcement work is,” said Maj. Gregory Sanborn of the Maine Warden Service. “All the response driving, the interaction with dangerous criminals, flying aircraft in bad situations, wardens on the water, driving snowmobiles — when we have one of these, it snaps us back to the reality that what we do is dangerous, and everyone comes together.”
And come together they did, in a service held at the Augusta Civic Center on March 30. Those there will not soon forget it.
A procession of more than 600 officers, led by the Maine Warden Service color guard, marched in honor of the fallen officer. They were led by game wardens dressed impeccably in red jackets, and followed by state troopers in blue.
Hundreds of other officers followed, and stood at attention as the casket, guarded by two Maine game wardens, stopped in front of the civic center. Six game wardens carried the casket into the civic center.
Inside it was a sea of blues, reds, greens — the uniform colors worn by officers from as far south as Pennsylvania and as far north as the Canadian provinces.
All officers moved as one during the ceremony — standing at attention when necessary, or seated with caps in hand — listening attentively as Gordon was proudly remembered as a father, friend, uncle and game warden.
Near the end of the ceremony, over 100 wives of the warden service each presented a rose to Daryl’s wife, Rita. At the end, as the procession neared the exit doors, all officers turned, standing at attention to salute the fallen officer.
Outside, the Maine flag was presented to Rita by Gov. Paul LePage, and the American flag was presented by Col. Joel Wilkinson. Seven game wardens each fired three shots in salute.
Then as taps was played, a distant drone of airplane engines also was heard.
The sound grew louder, then four planes flew over the procession in a V formation, with one to the side. A radio called out to pilot 2202, Gordon’s call number.
As the call went unanswered, one plane veered off and flew out of sight, and Game Warden Pilot Daryl Gordon, 2202, signed off for the last time.
Afterward, a motorcade that stretched for over a mile escorted Gordon to his final resting place.
The Maine Warden Service pulled together expertly during the ceremony and the five days leading up to it.
Perhaps the six pallbearers best illustrated the combination of strength, compassion, honor and loyalty.
They were the wardens closest to Gordon and practiced the funeral detail for hours to ensure they would honor their friend appropriately.
“They are woods game wardens — their truck may not see a tarred road for a week at a time,” remarked Sanborn. “They’re not as polished when it comes to drill as an honor guard member, but they came together and performed an intricate detail flawlessly.”
It was representative of the Maine Warden Service. They had lost one of their own, but as countless times before, they performed flawlessly, a testament to the tightly knit group’s 130-year history.
Mark Latti is a former public information officer for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and a registered Maine Guide. He can be reached at:
mlatti@gmail.com
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