A letter written to Vermilion Parish Deputy Allen Bares Jr.

This a column written by Chris Rosa, (managing editor of the Meridional) to Allen Bares Jr.

Dear Allen:
I am writing you this letter in hopes of easing your mind a little bit since your departure last Monday.
The biggest worry you have right now is your family. Based on what I have seen and heard this past week about your family, I think they will be OK.
Tina, your wife, is being as strong of a person as she can be under the circumstances. She stopped by the Meridional last week and visited. She laughed a couple of times and then she held back tears when your name came up.
Your daughter was also with her. She was in her National Guard uniform and looked strong. She must have a lot of you in her. At a little over 5-feet tall, she enlisted in the National Guard because she wanted to serve and protect. Sound familiar?
Then there is your seven year old son. Knowing he will grow up without a father is probably the toughest thing that is eating at you right now. Yes, you will not be around, but what you may not realize is that he has many uncles and aunts he has yet to meet.
Because you were a Vermilion Parish Sheriff Deputy, you belonged to a brotherhood. It’s a brotherhood who take care of their own. I expect the brotherhood will keep a close eye on your family.
Great choice on making Billy Vincent the Godfather to your son. Vincent and his wife have been there for your family.
What did you think about your funeral? If I know you, you probably thought it was too much. There were hundreds of people lined along La. 14 to say their goodbyes. It was amazing.
You lived your life like we should all live our lives. You put God first, followed by family and then your career.
While you may not think so, you died a hero. You died protecting the residents of Vermilion Parish. Although you were not working for the Sheriff’s Office that day, you were still a law enforcement agent. It was a job you loved.
You spotted something suspicious going on at a home on South Hospital Drive, and you called it in to the Sheriff’s Office. You confronted the two men and told them you were a deputy. It cost you your life.
Allen, I am not sure if you were able to watch, but it was awesome to see how many policemen swooped down to Vermilion Parish in search of your killers within two hours after you were shot. There were hundreds of men and women in uniform searching. Martin Luther King Drive looked like Abbeville was under attack because of all the officers there. I had never seen anything like that before.
Within eight hours after you had been shot, the alleged killers were in jail.
Be proud of your brothers and how quickly they found your alleged killers.
Every hero is remembered.
What do you think about getting a Vermilion Parish street named after you? I bet you probably do not like the idea, but it’s the least we could do to thank you for everything you did.
You broke up a burglary on South Hospital Drive and also got shot on South Hospital Drive.
South Hospital Drive in the future should be known as Allen Bares Jr. Drive.
Residents who live on that street may be inconvenienced with a name change, but I suspect that most would be proud by the name change and willing to deal with the inconvenience. They know you were killed trying to protect their neighborhood and a name change has been earned and is deserving.
Before last Monday, not many knew who Allen Bares Jr. was, and that is how you liked it. Now, everyone knows who Allen Bares Jr. is. He was a good man, a family man, and a man who loved his profession.
Be proud Allen.