"Angels in Blue" (1999)

Описание: The originally-crafted song and video montage "Angels in Blue" was created as a dedication to the challenges and triumphs of the Michigan State Police trooper recruit school.

Back in 1995, D/Sgt. Jim Young originally came up the idea for the song while engaged in a long run as a trooper recruit during the 111th Trooper Recruit School. Young had been writing and recording music since he was 13 years old, and this was an opportunity to come up with another song.

But the stress of the recruit school and learning the job of a trooper put the idea on a backburner.

In 1998, Young was assigned as temporary staff for the 117th Trooper Recruit School. On top of his normal duties, he attended the majority of the physical training (PT) sessions in the morning and really enjoyed evening sessions and working with the recruits one-on-one. Since he was assigned to a post in the Upper Peninsula, he drove back and forth to Lansing on the weekends.

"It was during this time where I came up with the general melody and some lyrics," Young said. "The majority of the lyrics were finalized during the car rides. During one of the weekends, I quickly recorded the song in my small basement studio."

And the rest is history.

Capt. Gene Hoekwater, the commander of the Training Academy at the time, put Young in touch with the department's media center to get the project started. Video from the 117th Trooper Recruit School and previous recruit schools was edited together with the song to create the montage.

"The song and video was made for recruits current, past and present by someone who has gone through the training and then came back to experience the other side of it," Young said. "I was inspired by those who trained me and those I trained."

Young said the video stirred up several emotions after a recent viewing.

"It makes me remember everything I went through, all emotions and physical stress of the Training Academy," he said.

The song "Angles in Blue" was written by D/Sgt. Jim Young, while the montage was and filmed and edited by Raymond Holt of the department's media center. The video premiered as the closing presentation for the 117th Recruit School Graduation in January 1999.

"Angels in Blue" also won the first place "Golden Shield Award" presented by the Law Enforcement Video Association at their annual conference in Washington D.C. in 1999.