FAIRWAY, Kan. — You see, but don't hear them. Their silence speaks louder than words — it's a sign of respect for a "fallen brave hero" officer Jonah Oswald.
Hundreds of people had the chance to call him a friend, colleague, brother, but only a handful could call him partner.
"It hit me real hard, I hit rock bottom and I know he affected everybody the same way and we're all feeling the same way," said Kaitlyn Lauritsen, his former partner from the Buckner Police Department.
Lauritsen is among many whose moments turned into memories in the past 24 hours.
"I mean, he was always full of life — happy go lucky, never a day I didn't see him with a smile or trying to joke around," Lauritsen said.
Oswald's former partner kept an audio recording from him never thinking she wouldn't be able to hear his voice again.
"You have each other's backs. It's completely different when it is your partner, not just someone a part of the law enforcement community," she said. "They go in and when you've got those scenes or situations you might not come out of, you need to trust that partner to get you through or have your back."
Oswald had his partner's six, but he had his community's too.
"I had a lady message me last night saying she saw my comment under the police department's post, and the picture I shared, and she reached out to tell me her and her husband were clean from drugs," Lauritsen said. "It was simply because of [Oswald] and they're there for their son now because of what he did and they wanted to introduce him to their son."
29 years of life just wasn't enough time.
"I know he just loved the job and if you would've told him what happened on Sunday was gonna happen, I guarantee you he still would've gone and done everything," his former partner said.
It might be Oswald's end of watch, but he'll always be their hero.
"He was a brother to me and he forever will be," she said.
Now they're watching his six.
A ceremonial guard is standing outside of the funeral home 24/7 until the services.
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