Marine endorses Halferty for Jasper County Sheriff
To the editor:
I am writing this letter and promote John Halferty to become the next Sheriff of Jasper County. I have known John for more than 15 years, and I have never met a more honest and hardworking man in my life.
In the time I have known him, I have spent time with him as he traversed the many different aspects of his life: as a law enforcement officer, as a firefighter, as a church youth leader, as a mentor and as a friend.
As a law enforcement officer, John possesses the values of honor and commitment, as well as an uparalleled work ethic. I have had the privilege to work with John on many occasions, volunteering as a training aid for training the Jasper County Sheriff Emergency Response Team through multiple scenarios.
I have also been lucky enough to accompany him on a couple of occasions as he conducted patrols throughout Jasper County. While on those patrols, I was able to witness firsthand both the depth of knowledge he has of Jasper County and his dedication and diligence in his duties.
As a youth leader at First Baptist Church of Colfax, John was a positive driving force that helped get me through one of the toughest times in my life. To me, John represented a positive male role model that I was lacking in my life. As I became more involved in the youth group, I began to learn more about John and the caliber of man he really is.
John wasn’t the type of youth leader that only listened to us recite Bible verses and do the activities in our workbooks. He was more concerned with the values and life lessons we could learn through our studies and devoted a lot of time to discussions covering these points until we all had a deeper understanding of them as well as providing an example of what these values looked like in our everyday lives.
Through various outreach activities within the community and a mission trip to West Virginia, John demonstrated exactly what it means to help your fellow man and love your neighbor. John has a huge heart and is always willing to use his abilities, whether it be his ability to work with his hands and knowledge in working construction or his knowledge of law enforcement, to help all those in need.
He is the type of guy that would pull over and help someone change a tire in the middle of a rain storm, both on and off duty.
John always challenged me to do my best and be my best and would even hold me — and the other members of the youth group — accountable for this by attending our school and sporting events. As I grew up, I got the opportunity to work on a lot of construction projects with John and help him out on his farm. I was also fortunate enough to have grown close to John’s family, as well. John constantly displays an inspiring devotion to his family in that no matter how busy he gets, he always makes time for them.
John is a well-rounded citizen who constantly puts others before himself. He consistently goes out of his way to help others and has an unparalleled work ethic. I consider myself lucky to have such a positive influence in my life.
With his patriotismand complete devotion to servitude, John was majorly influential in my decision to serve our great country as an infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. John’s exceptional professional ability, unwavering integrity and selfless dedication to his family, community and his duties easily make him the best candidate for Jasper County Sheriff.
Adam Crise, USMC
1st Battalion, 1st Marines
Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Editor’s note: Crise has been a resident of Jasper County for 20 years and is a 2003 graduate of Colfax-Mingo High School. His views are his own and do not reflect an endorsement by the U.S. Marine Corps or the U.S. Department of Defense.
